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BIOGRAPHICAL    MEMOIR 


OF    THE    LATE 


COMMODORE   JOSHUA  BARNEY 


AUTOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  AND  JOURNALS 


IN   POSSESSION  OF   HIS   FAMILY,  AND  OTHER  AUTHENTIC   SOURCES. 


EDITED     bS'MA'ICY    Ua'PNF,  Y 
\  \ 


Maris  et  terrae  miles,  pariter  in  utroquedignus, 
Meruit  ac  tulit  honores. 


;  Whoso  shall  telle  a  tale  after  a  man, 
He  must  reherse  as  neighe  als  ever  he  can.'  —  Chaucer. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED    BY    GRAY    AND    BOWEN 
1832. 


£353 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1832, 

By  Gray  and  Bowen, 

in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


PRESS      OF      I.     R.     BUTTS BOSTON 


PREFACE, 


There  are  three  things  that  sometimes  enter  into 
the  composition  of  a  book,  which  are  seldom  looked 
upon  with  complacency  by  the  generality  of  read- 
ers ;  these  are,  a  Preface  —  whether  in  the  shape  of 
advertisement,  apology,  or  essay  upon  *  matters  and 
things  in  general'  —  marginal  Notes,  and  an  Appen- 
dix. Having  once  been  readers  ourselves,  we  pro- 
fess to  know  something  of  the  sympathies  and 
antipathies  of  that  '  numerous  and  respectable'  por- 
tion of  the  public ;  and  we  are  sure  we  assert  no 
more  than  they  would  be  all  ready  to  confirm  —  if 
they  had  the  opportunity  —  when  we  say,  that  it  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  '  miseries,'  to  be  disturbed 
in  an  agreeable  train  of  thought,  or  interrupted  in 
the  most  pathetic  part  of  an  interesting  story,  by  an 
obtrusive  note  of  reference,  or  explanation,  which 
the  impertinent  author  chooses  to  think  necessary. 
We  have  heard,  and  perhaps  uttered,  many  an  exe- 
cration upon  the  head  of  an  unconscious  author,  for 
daring  to  take  such  liberties — with  his  own  book ! 
What  right  has  he — or  she,  as  the  case  may  be  — 
to  interfere  with  the  habits,  or  prejudices,  or  whims 


B&0771 


IV  PREFACE. 

of  the  reader?  Ay  !  that  is  the  question,  as  Hamlet 
said  —  but  we  will  not  discuss  it,  for  several  good 
reasons  :  one  is,  it  would  lead  us  deep  into  politics  — 
we  should  be  obliged  to  examine  the  aliments  of  our 
government,  the  reciprocal  rights  and  duties  of 
majorities  and  minorities,  and  the  principles  of 
'Nullification'  —  a  wider  field  than  we  have  either 
time  or  inclination  to  traverse  ;  another  reason  is, 
that  readers  must  form  the  tribunal  before  whom  the 
question  would  come  up  for  decision,  and  they  con- 
stitute such  an  overwhelming  majority,  that  we  re- 
gard it  as  '  the  better  part  of  valor,'  to  leave  the 
argument,  as  well  as  the  judgment,  in  their  hands. 
— But,  professing  to  know  so  well  what  your  read- 
ers would  like  or  dislike,  why  did  you  choose  to 
incur  their  displeasure,  by  presenting  your  book 
with  the  exceptionable  additaments  ?  It  was  pre- 
cisely to  answer  that  question,  that  this  preface  was 
designed. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  work  was  nearly  finish- 
ed, that  any  of  the  matter  to  be  found  in  the  Notes 
and  Appendix,  came  into  the  possession  of  the  writer. 
Much  of  it  was  believed  to  be  important,  and  the 
whole  seemed  to  be  too  interesting  to  be  omitted ; 
but,  to  have  woven  it  into  the  body  of  the  work, 
would  have  required  such  a  change  in  its  structure, 
that  the  labor  would  have  been  nearly  equal  to  that 
of  writing  the  whole  of  it  a  second  time.  The 
only  alternative  was  that  which  has  been  adopted  : 
it  was  at  first  supposed,  that  a  very  few  notes  would 
embrace  all  that  could  be  regarded  as  necessary,  but 
as  additional  materials  continued  from  time  to  time 


PREFACE. 


to  be  supplied,  an  Appendix  became  indispensable. 
Being  thus  forced,  much  to  her  regret,  to  encumber 
her  book  with  two  of  the  evils  so  frequently  com- 
plained of,  the  third  seemed  to  follow  as  a  matter 
of  course,  since  it  was  only  in  a  Preface,  that  the 
writer  could  make  the  apology,  and  the  explanation, 
which  she  thought  due  to  the  reader.  As  to  other, 
and  no  doubt  still  greater,  imperfections,  in  the  style 
and  execution  of  the  work,  no  apology  will  be  at- 
tempted, because  none  would  suffice  to  screen  it 
from  the  criticisms  of  the  ill  natured — and  the  good 
natured  reader  will  require  none. 


C  ONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I 


A  brief  Account  of  the  Parentage,  Birth,  and  Education  of  Joshua  Bar- 
ney.— His  early  choice  of  a  sea  life. — Reluctant  consent  of  his  Parents 
to  his  adoption  of  that  profession. — He  commences  his  career  in  a  Pi- 
lot-boat— Is  afterwards  apprenticed  to  his  brother-in-law  ;  and  makes 
a  Voyage  to  Cork  and  Liverpool. — Visits  Dublin,  sees  a  Review  in 
the  Park— and  returns  to  Baltimore,  with  a  number  of  Irish  Emigrants. 
— '  Redemptioners,'  ..... 


CHAPTER  II. 


Barney  visits  Home — finds  the  family  in  affliction — is  suddenly  recall- 
ed to  his  duties — makes  several  voyages. — Captain  Drysdale  dies  at 
sea. — Young  Barney  assumes  the  Command,  before  he  is  sixteen. 
— The  alarming  condition  of  his  Ship. — He  puts  into  Gibraltar — His 
energetic  conduct  there. — He  arrives  at  Nice — has  a  dispute  with  his 
Merchants  and  the  Governor — is  imprisoned — displays  great  Firmness 
of  Mind — visits  the  British  Ambassador  at  Milan,  and  obtains  prompt 
redress. — The  Governor's  obsequious  deportment  to  him. — He  arrives 
at  Alicant — is  detained  in  the  service  of  the  Count  O'Reilly's  celebra- 
ted Expedition  against  Algiers — his  Account  of  that  disgraceful  affair. 
— He  sails  for  Baltimore — is  boarded  by  a  British  Sloop  of  War,  and 
informed  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill — his  impatience  to  join  the 
'  Rebels' — his  arrival — and  reception  by  the  owner  of  the  ship, 


CHAPTER   III. 


State  of  the  Country  in  the  Autumn  of  1775. — Barney's  Ship  is  laid 
up. —  He  offers  his  services  on  board  the  sloop  of  War  Hornet — is 
made  Master's-mate. — He  is  the  first  person  that  hoists  the  American 
Flag  in  the  State  of  Maryland. — The  Hornet  joins  the  Squadron,  at 
Philadelphia,  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Hopkins. — They  sail 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

for  the  Bahamas — enter  New- Providence,  and  take  possession  of  the 
Town  and  Fort  without  resistance. — The  Squadron  returns. — The  Hor- 
net experiences  a  disaster— encounters  bad  weather  on  the  coast  of 
South  Carolina — returns  to  the  Delaware. — Barney  discovers  his  Cap- 
tain to  be  a  coward — his  indignation  thereat — he  becomes  himself  the 
Commander — and  succeeds  in  reaching  Philadelphia  in  spite  of  the 
vigilance  of  the  British  Cruisers,  .... 


29 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Historical  Digression. — State  of  Affairs  in  the  beginning  of  1776. — Bar- 
ney's reasons  for  preferring  to  serve  as  a  Volunteer. — He  enters  on 
hoard  the  Schooner  Wasp,  Captain  Alexander. — Encounter  with  the 
Enemy. — The  Wasp  is  driven  into  Wilmington  Creek. — Gallant 
Achievement  of  her  Commander,  assisted  by  Barney,  while  there. — 
Action  of  two  days  between  the  Philadelphia  Row- Galleys,  and  the 
British  Frigates  Roebuck  and  Liverpool. —  Barney  volunteers  to  bring 
a  disabled  Galley  into  action. — The  Enemy  are  driven  below  New- 
castle.— Return  to  Philadelphia. — Promotion  of  Captain  Alexander. — 
Barney  is  ordered  to  the  Sloop  Sachem— has  an  interview  with  the 
President  of  the  Marine  Committee — Receives  a  Letter  of  appoint- 
ment  as  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy,  ....  36 


CHAPTER    V. 

Captain  Isaiah  Robinson  takes  command  of  the  Sachem. — They  sail  on 
a  Cruise — engage  and  capture  a  British  Letter  of  Marque,  of  superior 
force,  after  a  desperate  action  of  two  hours  — return  to  Philadelphia 
with  their  prize. — Lord  North  loses  a  fine  Turtle  ! — Captain  R.  and 
Lieut.  Barney  are  transferred  to  the  Andrea  Doria. — They  proceed  to 
St  Eustatia — their  Salute  of  the  Fort  is  returned  by  the  Dutch  Gov- 
ernor.— Severe  Action  with  the  British  sloop  Race-horse — '  tables  turn- 
ed upon  Admiral  Parker. — Capture  of  a  British  Snow. — Lieut.  Barney 
put  on  board  as  Prize-Master. — Tempest  on  the  coast — perilous  situa- 
tion of  the  Snow  on  the  Chincoteague  Shoals. — Instance  of  Lieut.  B.'s 
firmness  and  intrepidity. — The  weather  moderates — he  sails  for  the 
Chesapeake — is  driven  off  the  Capes  by  a  Snow-storm — chased  by  a 
British  Ship — part  of  his  crew  mutiny — his  conduct  on  the  occasion — 
captured  by  the  Perseus  and  carried  to  Charleston — Rencounter  on 
board  between  the  Purser  of  the  Perseus  and  Barney. — Honorable 
Conduct  of  Capt.  Elphinstone. — Barney  is  released  on  Parole— travels 
on  horseback — his  revenge  upon  the  Tories — arrival  at  Philadelphia — is 
discharged  from  his  parole — and  returns  to  the  Andrea  Doria,         .  45 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Historical  Summary. — Sir  William  Howe  takes  possession  of  Philadel- 
phia.— The  Enemy's  Fleet  enters  the  Delaware. — Tremendous  Bom- 
bardment of  Mud  Island  Fort. — Notice  of  Lieutenant  Col.  Samuel 
Smith. — Anecdote  of  Moses  Porter,  and  biief  Account  of  his  Services. 
— Fall  of  Mud  Island  and  Red  Bank. — The  Americans  set  fire  to  their 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Fleet,  and  escape  in  their  small  boats  to  Bordentown. — Lieutenant  Bar- 
ney is  appointed  first  officer  of  the  Virginia  Frigate — is  sent  to  Balti- 
more with  a  Detachment  of  Seamen  for  that  Vessel — marches  by  the 
way  of  Valley  Forge. — The  sufferings  of  his  men  on  the  march  from 
the  severities  of  the  weather — He  delivers  them  on  board  the  Virgin- 
ia— has  command  of  the  Frigate's  Tender — recaptures  an  American 
Sloop  with  the  crew  of  an  enemy's  Barge  on  board. — His  generous 
treatment  of  the  prisoners  gratefully  acknowledged. — The  Virginia  at- 
tempts to  go  to  sea — is  run  aground  between  the  Gapes. — Extraordina- 
ry conduct  of  her  Commander. — The  enemy  board  and  take  posses- 
sion of  her. — Barney  is  put  on  board  the  Emerald. — Humane  charac- 
ter of  Captain  Caldwell — his  popularity  with  the  Americans  at  Hamp- 
ton—Governor Henry's  invitation  and  present  to  him. — Captain  Cald- 
well's conduct  contrasted  with  that  of  other  British  Officers,         .  53 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Lieutenant  Barney,  with  other  Prisoners,  is  sent  to  New  York. — He 
forms  a  plan  to  seize  the  St  Albans,  and  capture  the  enemy's  whole 
fleet — the  secret  is  betrayed  by  a  Frenchman  : — good  humor  of  Cap- 
tain Onslow  on  the  occasion — Barney  avows  his  whole  design. — Arri- 
val at  New  York. — He  is  sent  on  board  a  crowded  Prison-ship — suf- 
ferings of  the  prisoners  : — his  reflections  upon  his  treatment. — Hopes 
inspired  by  the  appearance  of  Count  D'Estaing's  Fleet — disappointed. 
— Admiral  Byron  arrives. — The  condition  of  the  prisoners  greatly  meli- 
orated.— Lieutenant  Barney  is  removed  to  the  Flag-ship — acquires 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  Admiral : — he  is  seized  in  New 
York  as  an  Incendiary — his  narrow  escape  from  his  savage  accusers. 
He  is  exchanged  for  the  first  Lieutenant  of  the  Mermaid — visits  Balti- 
more— consents  to  take  command  of  a  small  armed  Merchantman — is 
captured  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  put  ashore. — Captain  Robinson 
arrives  in  Baltimore — his  flattering  offer  to  Barney  : — the  latter  accepts 
it. — Voyage  to  Bordeaux  in  an  armed  Merchantman.  — They  engage 
and  beat  off  an  English  Privateer  of  superior  force — arrive  at  Bordeaux 
— Armament  of  the  Ship  increased. — They  sail  for  Philadelphia. — 
Action  with,  and  Capture  of,  a  British  Letter  of  Marque  Ship  of  equal 
force. — Safe]  Arrival  of  both  Ships  at  Philadelphia.  .         59 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Marriage  of  Lieutenant  Barney. — Undertakes  a  commercial  speculation 
— visits  Baltimore  : — meets  with  a  heavy  loss  : — his  philosophy  on  the 
occasion  :  returns  to  Philadelphia  : — joins  the  Saratoga,  and  sails  on  a 
cruise  : — Engagement  with  the  Enemy  : — Capture  of  four  Vessels 
from  the  Enemy : — gallant  feat  of  Lieutenant  Barney  : — he  takes  Com- 
mand of  one  of  the  captured  ships ; — capriciousness  of  fortune  : — he  is 
captured  by  an  English  74: — infamous  conduct  of  her  commander: — 
he  is  taken  to  New  York: — transferred,  with  other  prisoners  to  the 
Yarmouth  74,  and  ordered  for  England  : — sufferings  of  the  prisoners 
during  a  long  voyage  : — a  pestilence  breaks  out  among  them  : — cruel 
and  inhuman  treatment  of  them  : — they  arrive  at  Plymouth  in  a  state 
of  dreadful  extremity : — are  tried  as  '  traitors  and  rebels,'  and  com- 
mitted to  Mill  Prison. — Description  of  the  Prison  : — numerous  attempts 
made  to   escape  : — Barney  makes  a  friend  of  one  of  the   sentinels— 


CONTENTS. 

effects  his  escape  in  open  day  in  the  undress  of  a  British  officer:— is 
kindly  received  and  entertained  at  the  house  of  a  Clergyman :— meets 
with  two  Maryland  friends — they  purchase  a  small  fishing  boat,  and 
attempt  to  gain  the  coast  of  France  :— pass  the  British  fleet  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river : — the  friends  taken  sick,  and  Barney  left  to  man- 
age the  vessel  alone  : — boarded  by  a  Guernsey  Privateer  : — his  prompt- 
ness and  firmness  of  mind  deceive  the  boarding  officer  :— the  captain 
of  the  privateer  not  satisfied,  takes  him  back  to  Plymouth  for  ex- 
amination :— he  escapes  in  the  stern  boat : — enters  the  village  of 
Causen  :  is  mistaken  for  a  British  officer:— meeting  with  the  crew  of 
the  Privateer :— Lord  Edgecombe's  gardener :— Barney  meets  with  a 
Butcher  who  puts  him  across  the  river— regains  the  Clergyman's  house 
in  safety,  .  .  .  .  •  •  .        .       81 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Singular  good  fortune  of  Lieutenant  Barney  in  eluding  his  pursuers  — 
while  at  supper  with  his  friends,  the  Town  Crier  rings  his  bell  under 
the  windows,  proclaims  a  reward  for  his  apprehension,  and  describes 
his  person,  and  dress  : — consternation  and  alarm  of  his  friends  : — his 
own  sangfroid  on  the  occasion  : — procures  a  new  dress,  and  takes  a 
Post-chaise  at  midnight  for  Exeter: — laughable  deception  of  the  Sen- 
tinel at  the  gate  : — he  reaches  Exeter  in  safety  : — adventure  on  the 
road  thence  to  Bristol :  meets  with  friends : — goes  to  London  : — is 
hardly  dissuaded  from  the  hazardous  design  of  visiting  Mr  Laurens  in 
the  Tower  : — kindness  of  an  officer  of  the  Custom  House  : — sails  for 
Ostend  : — romantic  adventure,  and  agreeable  journey  thence  to  Brus- 
sels : — unexpected  introduction  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria — travels 
through  Antwerp  and  Rotterdam  to  the  Hague : — sees  the  Prince  ot 
Orange  : — arrives  at  Amsterdam  : — meets  with  Mr  John  Adams,  and  is 
kindly  received  : — takes  passage  in  the  frigate  South  Carolina — quits  her 
at  Corunna,  in  Spain,  and  takes  passage  in  the  Massachusetts  Privateer : 
— visits  Bilboa  : — arrives  at  Beverly  : — honorable  offer  to  him  by  the 
Messrs  Cabot : — he  declines  it,  and  sets  out  for  Boston — hospitable  re- 
ception there  : — is  detained  by  snow-storms — travels  in  a  sleigh  to 
Princeton  : — arrives  safely  at  Philadelphia — meeting  with  his  wife 
and  son,  ........ 


CHAPTER    X. 

The  Command  of  the  Pennsylvania  state  ship  Hyder-Ally  is  offered  to 
Barney : — he  accepts  it—  rapidity  with  which  he  fits  her  out — he  sails 
down  the  Delaware  to  convoy  a  fleet  of  merchantmen  : — meets  the 
enemy  at  the  Capes  : — battle  with  the  General  Monk — he  captures  her 
in  26  minutes : — saves  his  convoy,  and  returns  to  Philadelphia — Anec- 
dotes of  the  battle — coolness  of  the  '  Bucks  County  men' : — his  re- 
ception in  the  city. — The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  votes  him  a 
sword. — The  General  Monk  converted  into  a  Packet : — her  name 
changed  to  the  *  General  Washington  : ' — the  command  of  her  is  given 
to  her  captor. — He  sails  for  the  West  Indies  on  an  important  expedi- 
tion— convoys  a  fleet  as  far  as  the  Capes — the  enemy  there  induce  the 
convoy  to  return. — He  gets  to  sea  by  skilful  manoeuvring  : — engage- 
ment with  an  English  Privateer. — Anecdote  of  James  H.  McCul- 
loch. — Arrival  at   Cape   Francois: — state  of  the  combined  fleets  of 


CONTENTS.  XI 

France  and  Spain. — He  sails  for  the  Havana  with  an  escort : — re- 
ceives a  large  sum  of  money  on  board,  and  returns  to  the  Delaware 
— incidents  of  the  voyage  : — captures  a  number  of  Refugee  Barges  in 
the  Bay : — finds  the  convoy  he  had  left  still  there  : — their  laughable 
mistake  of  his  character. — Remarks  on  the  t rim  of  his  ship — his  crew. 
—  Arrival  at  Philadelphia — his  reception  by  Mr  Morris,         .         .         112 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Historical  Review. — Captain  Barney  is  sent  to  France  with  Despatches  : 
— his  Interview  with  Dr  Franklin  at  Passy  : — meets  Messrs  Adams, 
Jay,  and  Laurens  at  Paris— is  introduced  to  the  royal  family  at  Ver- 
sailles : — agreeable  sojourn  at  Paris — returns  to  his  ship  at  L'Orient: 
— receives  a  confidential  communication  from  Dr  Franklin  : — sails  from 
L'Orient  with  the  King  of  England's  Passport  : — successful  man- 
oeuvres to  avoid  being  visited  by  British  cruisers. — He  arrives  at  Phil- 
adelphia— brings  the  first  intelligence  of  Peace — is  sent  for  by  Congress 
and  eagerly  questioned — joy  of  tbe  people  : — his  family — another  son 
born. — The  Treaty  arrives. — He  is  again  despatched  to  England  and 
France. — Curious  anecdote  of  his  Passengers. — He  arrives  at  Ply- 
mouth— his  feelings  on  the  occasion: — gives  a.  fete  on  board  his  ship 
to  his  friends,  the  Clergyman's  family  :-—  visits  the  old  Gardener  at 
Lord  Edgecombe's  : — interesting  discovery. — He  sails  for  Havre  : — 
visits  Paris  again  for  a  few  days  : — returns  to  his  ship  : — lands  Mr 
Laurens  in  England,  and  arrives  safely  at  Philadelphia. — His  ship  the 
only  one  retained  in  service  : — he  is  despatched  again  to  France. — 
Anecdote  of  John  Paul  Jones  : — Major  L'Enfant:— is  ordered  to  wait 
at  Havre  for  the  Minister's  despatches  : — withstands  every  tempta- 
tion to  visit  Paris : — sails  in  a  heavy  gale  : — tempestuous  and  peril- 
ous passage  : — finds  the  Chesapeake  Bay  blocked  up  with  Ice  : — gets 
into  Annapolis  with  great  difficulty  : — Congress  in  session  there  : — he 
lands  and  travels  on  horseback  to  Philadelphia: — state  of  the  roads — 
snow  three  feet  deep. — Is  ordered  to  take  his  ship  into  Baltimore  and 
sell  her  : — removes  bis  family  to  Baltimore. — Affecting  interview  with 
Mr  Morris  on  the  settlement  of  his  accounts,  and  close  of  his  service. 
— Letter  from  Mr  Laurens,  .  133 


CHAPTER   XII. 


Reflections  on  Captain  Barney's  change  of  life. — He  establishes  himself 
in  commerce  : — meets  with  heavy  losses  : — has  a  third  son  born : — his 
mother  takes  up  her  residence  in  his  family : — he  purchases  a  tract  of 
land  in  Kentucky : — visits  Charleston,  Savannah,  and  Kentucky  : — be- 
comes a  great  favorite  with  the  '  Hunters  of  Kentucky' : — returns  to 
Baltimore  : — takes  an  active  part  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  the  Con- 
stitution : — violence  of  electioneering  meetings  : — the  State  Conven- 
tion adopt  the  constitution — ratification  of  the  same  by  Congress  : — 
grand  procession  in  honor  of  the  event : — he  rigs  up  and  commands  a 
miniature  ship  on  the  occasion: — '  Federal  Hill'  named. — He  fits  his 
little  ship  for  a  voyage  : — enters  Annapolis  by  invitation  and  is  hospita- 
bly entertained  : — pursues  his  voyage  to  Mount  Vernon. — presents  the 
Ship  to  Washington,  in  the  name  of  the  Ship-Masters  of  Baltimore  :— 
is  kept  at  Mount  Vernon  for  a  week : — returns  to  Baltimore  by  land. 


Xl1  CONTENTS. 

— Mrs  Washington  arrives  at  Baltimore  : — and  invites  him  to  accom- 
pany her  to  New  York. — The  Governor  and  Troops  of  Pennsylvania 
meet  them  at  Gray's  Ferry  : — grand  collation  : — Mrs  Morris  joins  the 
travellers  to  New  York.  He  meets  his  friend  Mr  Morris  : — is  intro- 
duced to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  : — corresponds  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  Revenue  : — is  offered  command  of  a  Cutter  and  declines  : 
— is  appointed  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  Maryland  : — gives  up  the 
office  in  a  short  time  : — is  appointed  by  the  Legislature  Vendue  Mas- 
ter : — establishes  a  Warehouse  in  conjunction  with  a  Partner  : — busi- 
ness goes  on  prosperously.  He  projects  a  voyage  : — leaves  the  busi- 
ness to  his  Partner,  and  visits  Carthagena  and  Havana  : — finds  a 
daughter  born  on  his  return. — Death  of  his  Mother  : — his  filial  piety. 
— He  undertakes  another  voyage  on  a  larger  scale  : — the  Firm  pur- 
chase the  Ship  '  Sampson': — he  makes  a  trading  voyage  to  the  French 
Islands: — finds  several  friends  at  St  Domingo. — Makes  a  fortunate 
voyage  to  Havana  and  returns  to  Baltimore,  for  another  cargo. — He 
sails  again  immediately  for  Cape  Francois — sells  his  cargo  at  great 
profit: — dreadful  state  of  things  at  the  Cape  : — battles  between  the  in- 
habitants in  the  streets : — the  town  is  fired  : — women  and  children 
take  refuge  on  board  his  ship  : — he  makes  a  daring  attempt,  and  suc- 
ceeds in  saving  his  property  : — has  to  fight  against  both  parties  : — sails 
for  St  Marks  : — is  captured  by  three  English  Privateers  : — retakes  his 
ship — and  brings  her  into  Baltimore,  .  ..  .  .152 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


Historical  Reflection. — Captain  B.  arms  his  ship  to  protect  her  from  in- 
sult, and  sails  again  for  Cape  Francois. — He  makes  a  lucrative  sale  of 
his  cargo  : — departs  for  home  in  company  with  a  French  Letter  of  Mar- 
que : — is  captured  by  the  British  frigate  Penelope  : — ungenflemanly 
conduct  of  Captain  Rowley. — B.  is  carried  into  Jamaica,  and  deliver- 
ed to  the  custody  of  the  Marshal  : — civility  of  that  officer  : — bail  is 
entered  for  him : — he  is  tried  for  '  Piracy'  and  '  shooting  with  intent 
to  kill :'— abusive  language  of  the  lawyers  : — he  is  acquitted  : — great 
rejoicing  among  the  crowded  audience  in  the  Court-house. — The 
Sampson  and  cargo  condemned  as  lawful  prize  : — he  enters  an  appeal. 
— Great  interest  felt  by  the  government  at  home,  on  hearing  of  his 
Capture  and  trial : — active  measures  taken  by  Washington  to  insure  his 
Safety  : — his  friends  in  Baltimore  fit  out  a  vessel — obtain  letters  from 
the  British  Minister  to  the  Governor  of  Jamaica — and  especial  permis- 
sion from  the  government  to  go  to  his  relief: — they  arrive  after  his  ac- 
quittal.— Cowardly  demeanor  of  Captain  Rowley. — Adventure  in  the 
public  Coffee-House. —  He  sails  from  Jamaica  with  his  friends  : — his 
adventure  with  an  Embargo  breaker  : — safe  arrival  at  Baltimore. — He 
goes  to  Philadelphia  :— calls  a  meeting  of  Ship  masters  : — their  peti- 
tion to  Congress. — Animadversions  of  his  enemies. — He  is  appointed  one 
of  six  Captains  in  the  Navy  : — is  dissatisfied  with  the  relative  rank 
assigned  him,  and  declines  it : — his  reasons  for  it  explained  : — rank  in 
the  revolutionary  war. — His  Bills  on  the  French  Consul-General  not 
paid,  he  determines  to  go  to  France  : — makes  a  contract  for  his  Firm 
with  Fouchet : — sails  in  the  '  Cincinnatus.' — Mr  Monroe  and  family, 
and  Mr  Shipwith,  take  passage  with  him  : — takes  his  son  William  with 
him— arrival  at  Havre  : — reflections  on  the  state  of  the  country: — ar- 
rival at  Paris. — Mr  Monroe  appoints  him  to  present  the  American  Flag 
to  the  National  Convention: — he  receives  fraternization : — is  offered 
a  commission  in  the  French  Navy,  but  declines. — Ceremony  of  de- 


C  ONTENTS.  X1U 

positing  the  ashes  of  Rousseau  in  the  Pantheon. — He  is  robbed  of  the 
Sword  presented  by  Pennsylvania  : — goes  to  Bordeaux  : — settles  his 
commercial  engagements  and  returns  to  Paris : — adventures  on  the 
road. — Scarcity  of  fuel  in  Paris. — Anecdote  of  his  landlord. — Ordi- 
nance respecting  Bread : — anecdote  of  his  Baker,  .  .  171 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


Brief  historical  Review. — A  commission  a  third  time  offered  to  Barney, 
which  he  accepts  : — is  ordered  to  Holland  : — takes  his  son  with  him, 
and  sends  him  to  the  U.  S.  from  Dunkirk. — Treaty  between  the  Re- 
public and  Holland: — recall  of  the  French  officers  in  consequence. — 
Commencement  of  Napoleon's  career. — Barney  purchases  and  fits  out 
a  Corsair  : — his  orders  to  her  commander. — New  organization  of  the 
Marine  : — he  is  dissatisfied  and  resigns  : — goes  to  Ostend,  Flushing, 
and  Havre  de  Grace  : — great  success  of  his  Corsair  : — he  purchases 
and  fits  out  others  in  conjunction  with  several  Americans — and  returns 
to  Paris. — The  Minister  of  Marine  offers  to  reappoint  him,  with  the 
rank  of  Chef  de  Division: — he  accepts — State  of  La  Vendee: — 
character  of  General  Hoche. — He  proceeds  to  Rochfort :  sails  with 
two  frigates  to  take  command  of  the  West  India  station  : — incidents  of 
the  voyage  . — arrival  at  Cape  Francois  : — goes  in  pursuit  of  the  Jamai- 
ca fleet : — vexatious  conduct  of  a  Spanish  Admiral,  in  consequence 
of  which  the  fleet  escape  him  : — his  indignation : — sickness  of  one  of 
his  crews: — narrow  escape  from  a  British  Squadron. —  Dreadful  tem- 
pest:— distressing  condition  of  himself  and  crews  : — the  two  frigates 
are  separated : — the  Harnionic  dismasted  and  almost  wrecked  : — af- 
fecting scene  on  her  deck. — He  speaks  an  American  vessel  for  Balti- 
more : — agreeable  disappointment — meets  with  the  Railleuse  dismast- 
ed : — they  arrive  at  the  Cape. — The  Corsair  : — remarks  on  the  nature 
of  Barney's  orders  : — defence  against  the  calumny  of  his  enemies. — 
He  undertakes  the  culture  of  the  sugar  cane. — Anecdotes  of  Christo- 
phe — Toussaint  L'Ouverture — Pierre  Michael — Raimont. — Character 
of  Sonthonax — splendors  of  his  establishment. — Personal  affair  with 
Pascal. — Distressed  state  of  the  Island  from  the  want  of  provisions. — 
He  is  solicited  to  take  a  contract  for  the  supplies — accepts  it — appoints 
an  Agent  to  act  for  him  in  his  absence — and  sails  with  two  frigates  for 
the  United  States. — He  arrives  at  Norfolk — state  of  his  ships — he  pro- 
ceeds to  Baltimore  : — meeting  with   his  family.  .  .  191 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Rapidity  of  the  Commodore's  movements. — He  enters  into  sub-contracts 
with  several  Baltimore  houses  of  the  first  standing : — sees  several  ves- 
sels despatched  with  provisions,  under  his  Passports. — -Difficulties  of 
the  French  Minister  Adet:—'B.  is  persuaded  to  advance  large  sums 
for  his  relief — and  takes  the  Consul  General's  Bills  on  the  treasury  at 
Paris. — He  returns  to  Norfolk. — Recall  of  his  friend  Sonthonax  : — fears 
excited  as  to  the  issue  of  his  contracts. — Bad  faith  of  the  Baltimore 
Houses. — He  makes  additional  contracts  in  Norfolk. — Delay  in  the 
repairs  of  his  ships. — Arrival  of  an  English  squadron  in  Hampton 
Roads. — He  sends  a  gallant  challenge  to  the  British  Admiral,  which  is 
declined.—- He  succeeds  in  getting  to  sea  :—  his  whole  passage  to  the 
B 


XIV  CONTENTS 

West  Indies  beset  with  enemies  : — the  great  skill  and  ingenuity  with 
which  he  eludes  them  : — skirmish  with  a  ship  of  the  line  and  frigate. 
— He  gets  safely  into  Port  de  Paix  : — leaves  his  ships  there,  and  pro- 
ceeds in  a  small  schooner  to  the  Cape  : — long  illness  after  his  arrival, 
the  consequence  of  his  great  fatigue  and  watchfulness  : — kind  atten- 
tions of  the  black  generals. — His  frigates  ordered  to  France. — Arriv- 
al of  the  new  administrateurs  : — his  difficulties  with  them  in  settling 
his  contract. — He  sails  for  France  in  a  small  Pilot-boat,  with^a  cargo 
of  coffee : — takes  a  French  general  and  his  aid,  as  passengers  : — their 
supply  of  water  fails : — a  dilemma  : — humorous  rencounter  with  a 
Portuguese  trader  : — arrival  at  Corunna,  in  Spain, — He  orders  the 
schooner  to  Bordeaux  and  travels  by  land — disagreeable  journey  to 
Bayonne. — His  schooner  arrives  safe  at  Bordeaux : — he  makes  a  for- 
tunate sale  of  his  coffee — purchases  a  travelling  carriage,  and  arrives 
at  Paris. — Interview  with  his  Banker — great  amount  of  his  advances — 
no  receipts  from  the  treasury. — Difficulty  of  procuring  a  settlement 
with  the  Directory : — great  prevalence  of  bribery  and  corruption  : — 
high  command  offered  to  quiet  him. — Return  of  Bonaparte  from  Egypt 
— revolution  of  the  9th  November — Consular  government. — Vexa- 
tions of  the  Commodore  : — villainy  of  his  prize  agents  and  partners. — 
Unexpected  suit  against  him  by  the  Bordeaux  purchasers  of  his  St 
Domingo  claim  :—  heavy  judgment  obtained  against  him,  through  the 
corruption  of  the  courts. — He  is  presented  to  the  first  Consul : — asks 
permission  to  resign,  which  is  refused  in  a  flattering  manner : — be- 
comes a  regular  visitor  at  the  Palace — attends  Josephine's  soirees — is 
politely  treated  by  Napoleon — but  gets  no  satisfactory  answers  to  his 
demands  for  money. — Letter  from  La  Fayette— his  opinion  of  the  peo- 
ple— and  prediction  of  the  result  of  the  revolution — He  renews  his 
application  for  permission  to  resign : — receives  a  complimentary  letter 
from  the  minister  of  marine — has  a  pension  assigned  him,  which  he 
does  not  accept — leaves  his  business  in  the  hands  of  a  friend — and 
embarks   for   the  United   States,  .  .  .  .  211 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Bad  condition  of  the  ship  '  Neptune.' — She  puts  into  Fayal  for  repairs. 
— Politeness  of  the  American  Consul  there. — Difficulty  of  procuring 
requisite  materials. — Trade  winds. — Ignorance  and  obstinacy  of  the 
captain  of  the  Neptune. — Storm  off  Cape  Hatteras. — The  Neptune 
sinks. — Passengei  s  and  crew  saved  by  a  small  schooner. — Exorbitant 
demand  of  her  skipper  for  taking  them  into  Hampton. — The  Commo- 
dore arrives  at  Baltimore.  —Reflections  upon  his  past  career  : — calum- 
nies refuted.  Disappointments  in  the  settlement  of  his  affairs  : — active 
hostility  of  those  whom  he  had  most  befriended  : — baseness  of  his  St 
Domingo  agent : — law  suits. — His  family. — Arrival  of  Jerome  Bona- 
parte and  suite  at  Baltimore  : — they  take  up  their  residence  with  the 
Commodore  : — excursions  through  the  country : — Jerome  falls  in  love  : 
remonstrance  and  advice  thrown  away  upon  him: — his  marriage. — 
Anecdotes  of  General  Reubel. — Restoration  of  the  value  of  ship 
Sampson  and  cargo. — The  Commodore  establishes  his  three  sons  in 
business  with  a  large  capital. — He  receives  a  large  remittance  from 
Paris : — becomes  a  candidate  for  Congress — his  popularity  in  Baltimore 
proof  against  slander. — '  Chesapeake  affair.' — He  offers  his  services  to 
Mr  Jefferson. — Death  of  Mrs  Barney. — He  renews  the  offer  of  his 
services  to  Mr  Madison. — His  last  commercial  enterprise, — and  its  loss. 
— He  takes  a  second  wife  : — becomes  again  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
and  is  a  second  time   defeated,  .  .  ,  •  230 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


The  Declaration  of  War  finds  him  at  his  farm. — He  enters  once  more 
into  service. — Successful  cruise  of  the  '  Rossie'  under  his  command. — 
Government  gives  him  command  of  the  Chesapeake  flotilla. —  Attempts 
of  his  personal  enemies  to  excite  the  Government  against  him. — He 
calls  his  calumniator  to  the  field. — He  sails  with  a  part  of  his  flotilla : 
— meets  the  enemy  at  the  mouth  of  Patuxent : — skirmish  there  : — he 
enters  the  river  and  takes  post  in  St  Leonard's  Creek : — Is  pursued  by 
the  Enemy,  whose  numerous  attacks  are  gallantly  repulsed : — battle 
of  the  10th  of  June  : — gallant  exploit  of  Major  Barney. — The  enemy 
moor  their  ships  at  the  mouth  of  the  Creek. — Measures  of  the  govern- 
ment to  aid  the  flotilla. — Militia — Regulars— Marines. — Battle  of  the 
26th  of  June  : — gallantry  of  two  young  Volunteers. — The  enemy  aban- 
don the  Creek  and  move  off. — The  flotilla  ascend  the  Patuxent  to  Ben- 
edict.— Curious  history  of  Wadsworth's  Battery. — Measures  planned 
for  defence  of  Washington  and  Baltimore.' — Flotilla  moved  up  to  Not- 
tingham.— The  enemy  advances  up  the  river. — Barney  orders  the  flo- 
tilla to  be  fired,  and  marches  with  his  men  to  join  General  Winder. — 
«  Battalion  Old  Field.'— The  President  and  his  Cabinet.— Retreat  of  the 
Army  to  Washington. — Barney  stationed  at  the  Anacostia  Bridge  : — 
prevails  on  the  President  to  permit  him  to  draw  off  his  force  from  a 
useless  service,  to  join  the  Army  at  Bladensburg. — '  Battle  of  Bladens- 
burg,'  so  called : — panic  of  the  American  troops : — brave  stand  of  Bar- 
ney's command : — gallantry  of  his  officers  : — he  is  wounded,  and,  un- 
able to  quit  the  field,  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. — Anecdotes  of 
Ross  and  Cockburn — Captain  Wainwright — Sailors  and  «Soldiers — af- 
fecting scene  between  the  Commodore  and  one  of  his  wounded  men. 
— He  is  carried  to  Bladensburg. — The  enemy  retire  from  Washington. 
— Number  of  wounded  and  Guard  left  behind. — Arrival  of  the  Com- 
modore's family : — he  is  carried  to  his  farm,         ....  250 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


The  City  of  Washington  presents  a  sword  to  Commodore  Barney. — He 
is  despatched  with  a  Flag  of  Truce  to  the  British  Admiral. — Exchange 
of  prisoners. — British  writers. — Commodore  Barney  resumes  command 
of  the  flotilla. — Debate  in  Congress,  on  a  motion  to  indemnify  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  flotilla  for  their  losses. — Vote  of  thanks  by  the 
Legislature  of  Georgia. — Treaty  of  Peace. — The  flotilla  is  disbanded. 
— The  Commodore  is  sent  with  Despatches  to  Europe — unhappy  ef- 
fects of  the  voyage  upon  his  health — melancholy  state  of  his  mind. — 
He  petitions  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  for  authority  to  replace 
the  sword  stolen  from  him — his  discontent  and  gloom. — Reflections 
upon  the  causes  of  his  depression. — Anecdote  of  his  arrest  for  debt  and 
its  consequences. — Example  of  his  profuse  liberality. — He  makes  a 
journey  to  Kentucky  with  his  family — his  account  of  it. — Public  din- 
ners—  foasts — Speeches. — Legislative  honors  voted  to  him. — Town  of 
Elizabeth — Settlers  on  his  lands. — Curious  account  of  a  Survey  and  its 
results. — Satisfactory  termination  of  his  labors  and  difficulties,      .  270 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Commodore  B.  returns  to  the  retirement  ol  his  farm  on  Elk  Ridge — 
prepares  for  his  removal  to  the  West. — Death  of  the  Naval  Officer  at 
Baltimore. — Commodore  B.  is  appointed  to  the  vacant  office — removes 
with  his  family  to  Baltimore — constitutes  his  son  William  his  Deputy. — 
Reflection  on  his  appointment  — He  makes  another  visit  to  Kentucky 
— accomplishes  his  arrangements  for  removal  thither — disposes  of  his 
Elk  Ridge  farm.— Last  interview  with  his  son  William—'  British  in- 
fluence' denned. — He  leaves  Baltimore  with  all  his  family. — Deten- 
tion at  Brownsville. — He  embarks  for  Pittsburg — his  illness — Death — 
and  character,  .......  292 


APPENDIX,  .  .  .  .  .  .  m 


MEMOIR 


OF 


COMMODORE    BARNEY 


CHAPTER   I. 

A  brief  Account  of  the  Parentage,  Birth,  and  Education  of  Joshua  Barney.  —  His 
early  choice  of  a  sea  life.  —  Reluctant  consent  of  his  Parents  to  his  adoption 
of  that  profession.  —  He  commences  his  career  in  a  Pilot-boat  —  Is  after- 
wards apprenticed  to  his  brother-in-law  ;  and  makes  a  Voyage  to  Cork  and 
Liverpool.  —  Visits  Dublin,  sees  a  Review  in  the  Park —  and  returns  to  Balti- 
more, with  a  number  of  Irish  Emigrants.  — '  Redemptioners.' 

In  the  republic  of  the  United  States,  where,  by  the  consti- 
tution and  laws,  all  men  are  acknowledged  to  be  equal,  the 
study  of  genealogy  is  but  little  cultivated,  or  regarded ;  and, 
though  nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  that  every  man  must 
have  had  progenitors,  whose  several  generations  —  if  the  Mo- 
saic account  of  the  creation  be  admitted  —  extend  to  the  same 
remoteness  of  antiquity,  there  are  few  who  give  themselves 
the  trouble  to  search  out  the  links  of  connexion,  and  still 
fewer,  perhaps,  in  whose  possession  are  to  be  found  any  au- 
thentic records  of  their  descent.  The  brief  notices  which  fol- 
low, are  all  that  we  have  been  able  to  collect,  of  the  lineage  of 
the  subject  of  these  memoirs. 

William  Barney,  the  grandfather,  was  sent  from  England 
by  an  uncle,  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years,  to  seek  his 
fortune,  according  to  the  phrase  of  the  time,  in  the  British  Col- 
onies of  North  America.  Of  his  parents  nothing  certain  is 
known  ;  but  it  is  presumed,  from  the  circumstance  of  his 
being  then  under  the  control  of  an  uncle,  that  they  were  both 
dead  at  the  period  of  his  leaving  England  :  and,  from  the  fact 
that  he  came  recommended,  by  that  uncle,  to  some  of  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Maryland,  it  may  be 
1 


-*  MEMOIR  OF 

further  inferred,  that  the  family  was  of  some  consideration  in 
the  mother  country.  The  young  emigrant  himself  entertain- 
ed a  belief  that  his  father  had  possessed  an  independent  estate  ; 
and  that,  in  sending  him   abroad,  the  uncle  had  been  actuated 

•  j  by  interested  :ah(f  sinister  motives.     It  is  certain  that  he  came  to 

the  new  world  much. against  his  will,  and  that  he  would  have  gone 

•  ';&#€&  in]- tlie:  sarae;  ship  when  she  returned  to  England,  if  his 
*  wishes'had  prevailed ';  but  her  commander,  who  had  probably 

received  orders  to  that  effect  from  the  uncle,  refused  to  receive 
him  on  board.  This  event  took  place  about  the  year  1695; 
and  as,  at  that  period,  it  seldom  occurred  that  more  than  one 
ship  from  the  mother  country  visited  the  colony  during  the 
year,  the  youthful  adventurer  had  time  to  reconcile  himself  to 
the  destiny  forced  upon  him  ;  and  before  the  next  annual  ar- 
rival he  had  lost  all  desire  to  measure  back  the  distance  that 
separated  him  from  the  land  of  his  fathers.  He  delivered  his 
letters  of  recommendation ;  was  put  into  the  way  of  making 
his  living ;  and,  by  a  course  of  industry  and  good  conduct,  soon 
attained  that  degree  of  independence  and  general  consideration 
in  the  community,  which  enabled  him  to  form  a  respectable  and 
advantageous  connexion  by  marriage.  The  fruit  of  this  mar- 
riage was  one  son,  upon  whom  he  bestowed  his  own  name  of 
William,  and  to  whom,  at  his  death,  he  left  what  was  called  in 
those  economical  days,  a  '  handsome  fortune.5 

This  son,  of  whose  early  life  no  legend  or  tradition  has  de- 
scended to  us,  formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  an  heiress  of 
large  property,  by  the  name  of  Frances  Holland  Watts  —  a 
lady  as  rich  in  all  the  virtues  which  give  lustre  to  the  name  of 
wife,  and  mother,  as  in  the  gifts  of  fortune.  A  host  of  competi- 
tors contended  for  the  honor  of  her  hand,  and  it  is  no  slight 
evidence  of  the  good  character  of  William  Barney,  that  he 
won  the  prize. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  some  philosophers,  who  are  fond  of 
diving  into  the  mysteries  of  nature,  that  the  vis  generatrix  is  as 
much  an  hereditary  idiocracy  as  gout,  scrofula,  or  any  other 
of  the  numerous  diseases,  which  pathological  ignorance  is 
prone  to  ascribe  to  ancestral  taint.  But  in  the  union  of  the 
fecund  pair  we  have  just  named,  there  is  a  strong  argument 
against  the  truth,  if  not  a  direct  confutation  of  this  hypothe- 
sis; they  were  the  only  offspring  of  their  respective  parents, 
and  yet  from  their  union  there  sprung  no  less  than  fourteen 
children. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  and  for  several  years  afterwards, 
William  Barney  resided  in  the  town  of  Baltimore,  then  a  very 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


inconsiderable  village  of  scarcely  a  dozen  houses ;  but  as  his 
family  began  to  exhibit  such  unequivocal  proofs  of  respect  for 
the  great  precept  of  the  Creator,  he  very  wisely  determined  to 
give  them  more  ample  room  to  '  increase  and  multiply,'  and 
for  this  purpose  removed  them  to  a  farm,  about  eight  miles  from 
town,  on  '  Bare  Creek'  —  in  that  part  of  the  county  of  Bal- 
timore known  by  the  name  of  Patapsco  Neck.  Here  Mi- 
Barney  continued  to  reside,  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  the 
blessings  of  domestic  life,  until  the  year  1772,  when  by  one  of 
those  melancholy  accidents  the  effects  of  which  we  are  so  often 
called  upon  to  deplore,  but  which  no  experience  will  ever  teach 
imprudent  man  to  avoid,  his  existence  was  suddenly  termina- 
ted. One  of  his  younger  children  had  been  indulged  with  per- 
mission to  play  with  an  old  pistol,  which  had  been  found  among 
the  rubbish  of  a  lumber-room  :  it  was  '  of  course'  not  suppos- 
ed to  be  loaded,  and  therefore  '  no  possible  clanger'  could  be 
apprehended  from  letting  the  child  amuse  himself  with  it ;  but 
alas  !  how  mysterious  and  inscrutable  are  the  operations  of 
Providence,  —  the  '  harmless  amusement'  of  the  child  was 
pregnant  with  the  fate  of  the  father  —  the  pistol  was  fired,  and 
its  unsuspected  contents  lodged  in  the  bosom  of  the  fond  and 
too  indulgent  parent.  He  survived  the  accident  but  two  days, 
and  was  thus  taken  from  his  family  in  the  meridian  of  life  ;  for 
he  had  not  yet  attained  his  fiftythird  year. 

Joshua  Barney  was  one  of  the  fourteen  children  of  William 
and  Frances  Holland  Barney.  He  was  born  on  the 
1759  sixth  day  of  July,  1759,  a  year  or  two  before  the  fam- 
ily was  removed  to  Bare  Creek  —  so  that  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  which  became  aftenvards  his  chosen  residence,  was 
also  the  place  of  his  nativity.  Almost  as  soon  as  he  could  walk 
and  talk,  he  was  sent  along  with  his  elder  brothers  to  a  common 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  the  farm.  We  have  not  been  able  to 
collect  a  single  authentic  anecdote  of  this  period  of  his  life  ; 
nor  has  he  himself  left  us  anything  upon  record,  in  which  the 
fondest  inquirer  into  such  matters  could  discern  the  germ  of  the 
future  hero,  or  trace  in  the  '  sayings  and  doings'  of  the  boy  the 
conduct  and  character  of  the  man.  All  is  a  blank.  One 
tiling,  however,  seems  to  be  certain  —  the  same  restless  activity 
of  disposition,  the  same  eagerness  to  press  onward  in  the  career 
of  life,  which  afterwards  characterized  him,  were  conspicuous 
traits  of  his  early  years. 

He  quitted  school  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  in  the  full  persua- 
sion that  he  had  acquired  all  the  education  necessary 
1769     to  fit  him  for  the  profession  which  he  had  already  de- 


*  MEMOIR  OF 

termined  upon  adopting.  Nor  will  it  be  accounted  strange, 
or  imputed  to  him  as  an  evidence  of  very  egregious  vanity, 
that  he  should  entertain  this  proud  opinion  of  his  preco- 
city, when  it  is  understood  that  he  was  in  all  respects  par  ma- 
gisiro  —  or,  to  use  his  own  words,  that  he  had  '  learnt  every- 
thing the  master  could  teach ;'  which  meant,  according  to  the 
same  authority,  that  he  '  could  write  a  good  hand,  and  perfectly 
understood  Arithmetic  !'  Long  before  this  period,  he  had  wea- 
ried his  father  by  continued  entreaties  into  a  reluctant  promise, 
that  he  might  '  go  to  sea'  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  take 
care  of  himself;  and  he  now  fancied  himself  in  the  condition 
to  claim  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise.  But  his  father  thought 
otherwise  —  and  the  mother  was  still  less  willing  to  think  him 
either  '  old  enough,'  or  big  enough,  to  buffet  with  the  rude  and 
boisterous  element.  It  was  therefore  determined  between  the 
parents,  that,  since  Joshua  was  '  done  schooling,'  he  should  be 
sent  to  a  '  Retail-Store'  in  Baltimore,  if  only  to  '  keep  him  out 
of  mischief;'  and  it  was  hoped,  on  the  part  of  the  mother  at 
least,  that,  in  the  course  of  time,  his  prepossession  in  favor  of 
the  sea  might  be  transferred  to  the  less  dangerous  occupation  of 
the  counter.  But  who  that  had  once  conceived  a  wish  to  em- 
brace the  bold,  adventurous,  roaming  life  of  a  sailor,  ever  yet 
contented  himself  with  the  dull,  lazy,  feminine  employment  of 
measuring  cloth  and  calico  by  the  yard  ? 

In  pursuance,  then,  of  this  decision  of  the  domestic  powers, 
against  which  there  was  no  appeal,  Joshua  was  inducted,  not 
without  some  little  mortification,  into  the  shop  of  a  respectable 
retailer  of  dry  goods,  in  Baltimore.  It  so  fell  out,  however,  that 
the  gentleman  who  was  thus  selected  to  initiate  him  in  the  mys- 
teries of  trade,  in  less  than  three  months  after  that  event,  either 
from  disappointment,  weariness  of  business,  or  some  other  equal- 
ly cogent  motive,  'broke  up  his  establishment,'  and  engaged 
in  some  other  pursuit.  This  threw  young  Barney  once  more 
into  the  home  circle,  and  furnished,  as  he  thought,  a  favorable 
occasion  to  renew  his  solicitations  to  be  sent  to  sea;  but  the 
lapse  of  a  few  months  had  done  so  little  towards  removing  the 
former  objection,  that  his  ardent  aspirations  were  doomed  to  ex- 
perience a  second  disappointment.  His  father  had  a  friend, 
engaged  in  a  brisk  and  active  business  at  Alexandria  —  a  city 
which  was  then  thought  to  rival  Philadelphia  in  the  extent  and 
importance  of  its  commerce  —  who  about  this  time  expressed 
a  desire  to  have,  ;  just  such  a  lad  as  Joshua,'  in  his  counting- 
house  :  the  opportunity  was  eagerly  embraced,  and  Joshua  was 
sent  without  delay  to  his  new  master  in  the  Old  Dominion. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  O 

Here  he  remained,  with  such  stock  of  patience  as  a  boy  of  his 
age  and  temperament,  working  '  against  the  grain,'  may  be 
supposed  to  possess,  until  the  Christmas  Holidays  of  1770  — 
when  he  received  permission  to  visit  his  parents,  and  spend  that 
season  of  fun  and  festivity  with  the  family  group. 

If  any  of  our  readers  should,  perchance,  belong  to  that  class 
whom  the  gifted  bard  of  Scotland  addressed  under  the  style  of 
*  The  unco  guid,  or  the  rigidly  righteous,'  we  are  sorely  afraid 
that  young  Barney  will  lose  all  chance  of  becoming  a  favorite 
with  them,  by  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  of  this  home  visit. 
If  we  were  writing  a  romance,  or  the  history  of '  man  as  he  ought 
to  be,'  we  should  probably  send  our  hero  back  to  Alexandria, 
to  drudge  out  his  teens  in  the  calculation  of  pounds,  shillings, 
and  pence  —  merely  because  leave  of  absence  for  a  specified 
time  may  be  understood  to  imply  an  obligation  to  return  ;  but 
we  are  writing  a  biography  of  *  man  as  he  is,'  and  as  faithful 
chroniclers,  we  must  '  nothing  extenuate,'  nor  varnish  over  what 
in  its  true  coloring  might  be  called  a  fault. 

After  the  merriments  of  Christmas  were  over,  and  the  New- 
Year  had  been  hailed  with  its  accustomed  greetings, 
1771  and  the  various  individuals  of  the  social  meeting  were 
preparing  to  return  to  their  several  avocations,  Joshua 
proved  recreant  — he  peremptorily  refused  to  resume  his  station 
at  Alexandria  without  compulsion,  and  this  he  well  knew  neither 
father  nor  mother  was  ever  disposed  to  use.  It  had  been  well 
understood  between  the  father  and  his  Alexandria  friend,  that 
the  former  was  under  a  promise  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  his  son 
in  the  choice  of  profession,  and  that  the  counting-house  was  to 
be  considered  as  nothing  more  than  a  preparatory  school ;  so 
that,  in  truth,  no  obligation,  either  express  or  implied,  was  viola- 
ted by  Joshua's  refusing  to  return,  and  the  father  subjected  him- 
self to  no  censure  from  the  merchant  in  giving  way  to  his  son's 
pertinacity.  He  had  been  almost  a  year  at  Alexandria  —  a  long 
and  irksome  period  to  him  —  during  which  time  his  attention  to 
his  duties,  his  industry,  and  the  alacrity  with  which  he  obeyed 
all  the  commands  of  his  employers,  had  been  as  faithful  and  un- 
remitting as  if  his  highest  ambition  had  been  limited  to  the  ac- 
quisition of  commercial  knowledge.  But  he  was  so  far  from 
being  weaned  from  his  '  first  love,'  that  every  moment  more 
and  more  firmly  convinced  him,  that  the  hand  of  destiny  beck- 
oned him  to  the  ocean.  He  was  now  in  his  twelfth  year  ;  had 
advanced  considerably  in  stature  and  manly  appearance  ;  and 
had  shown  that  he  was  capable  of  taking  care  of  himself,  or  at 
1* 


6 


MEMOIR  OF 


least  that  a  mother's  tenderness  and  attention  were  no  longer 
indispensable  to  his  comfort  and  welfare.  All  these  considera- 
tions, however,  scarcely  lessened  the  pain  of  his  parents  when 
the  moment  of  decision  came  ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  with- 
stand his  daily  prayers  and  entreaties,  and  the  long-wished-for 
consent  was  at  length  given. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1771,  young  Barney,  full  of 
gratitude  to  his  parents,  and  nobly  resolving  that  his  future  ca- 
reer should  justify  their  indulgence,  entered  on  board  a  Pilot- 
boat  —  a  class  of  vessels  for  which  Baltimore  has  since  become 
famous  all  over  the  world.  The  licensed  pilot  who  command- 
ed her  was  an  old  friend  of  his  father,  and  well  known  as  an 
expert  and  accomplished  seaman.  That  he  might  be  left  free 
to  discontinue  or  pursue  the  life  of  a  sailor,  as  his  feelings  might 
incline  him,  after  a  fair  trial  of  its  pleasures  and  its  hardships, 
his  father  delayed  his  purpose  of  placing  him  under  articles  of 
apprenticeship,  and  contented  himself  with  the  promise  of  the 
pilot  to  give  him  every  chance  of  instruction  in  the  affairs  of 
his  profession.  He  continued  under  the  fatherly  care  of  this 
old  seaman,  making  occasional  excursions  beyond  the  Capes, 
until  the  autumn  of  this  year,  when,  as  he  had  lost  none  of  his 
fondness  for  the  billows,  but  on  the  contrary  seemed  to  be  con- 
firmed in  his  predilection,  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  his  father 
that  he  should  be  permanently  provided  for  in  some  more  suita- 
ble vessel.  One  of  his  elder  sisters  had  been  married,  some 
years  before,  to  a  Captain  Thomas  Drysdale,  who  commanded 
a  small  brig  in  the  Liverpool  trade,  and  happened  at  this  time 
to  be  in  port.  The  chance  of  placing  him  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  one  so  closely  connected  with  the  family,  was  thought 
to  be  too  desirable  to  be  neglected  ;  and  Joshua  was  forthwith 
apprenticed  to  his  brother-in-law. 

In  January,  1772,  our  sailor  boy,  proud  of  the  title,  and 
already  dreaming  of  future  glories,  embarked  on  his 
1772  first  regular  voyage.  The  season  was  cold  and  tem- 
pestuous, and  the  brig,  after  many  severe  struggles 
which  might  have  shaken  the  courage  of  less  resolved  hearts, 
arrived  safely  in  the  Cove  of  Cork.  The  impression  which 
was  made  upon  young  Barney  by  the  first  glimpse  he  obtain- 
ed of  a  foreign  land,  was  deep  and  powerful ;  when  his  atten- 
tion was  called  to  a  dim,  cloudy  speck,  scarce  visible  in  the  dis- 
tant horizon,  and  was  told  that  that  was  the  Head  of  Kinsale,  on 
the  coast  of  Ireland,  he  felt  for  the  first  time  as  if  alone  in  a 
world  of  strangers —  a  sigh  escaped  him  as  he  remembered  his 
peaceful  home,  his  affectionate  parents,  his  long  list  of  brothers 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  / 

and  sisters  —  but  he  shook  off  the  enervating  emotion;  his 
mind  seemed  to  spring  at  once  into  the  vigor  of  maturity  ;  and 
from  that  moment  he  was  a  man  in  everything  but  years.  As 
soon  as  the  brig  had  cast  anchor,  he  obtained  permission  of 
his  captain  to  go  ashore  and  see  the  ancient  city  of  Cork ;  but 
it  does  not  appear  that  he  met  with  anything  to  captivate  his 
attention,  or  that  he  was  much  gratified  by  the  visit.  After  a 
detention  of  two  days  at  Cork,  the  brig  was  despatched  by  the 
consignees  to  Liverpool,  where  she  arrived  in  safety.  The  no- 
ble docks  of  this  great  commercial  emporium  attracted  the 
especial  regards  of  our  young  enthusiast,  and  all  the  leisure 
which  the  morose  and  tyrannical  disposition  of  his  master  allow- 
ed him,  was  spent  in  examining  their  construction  and  investi- 
gating their  uses. 

Alter  the  delivery  of  the  cargo  to  the  owners  in  Liverpool, 
the  brig  was  unexpectedly  sold,  and  Barney  was  sent  off  in  a 
packet  to  Dublin,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  passage  for 
himself  and  master  in  a  vessel  bound  thence  to  Baltimore.  He 
remained  long  enough  in  Dublin,  before  he  was  rejoined  by  his 
captain,  to  see  all  its  magnificent  shows,  and  to  be  charmed 
with  the  hospitality  and  kindness  of  its  inhabitants.  But  what 
more  than  all  excited  his  admiration,  and  awakened  the  natural 
chivalry  of  his  spirit,  during  his  sojourn  here,  was  a  review  of 
troops,  consisting  of  five  thousand  infantry  and  a  thousand 
horse,  at  which  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  present,  in  the 
splendid  Park  of  Dublin.  He  spoke  of  it  as  '  one  of  the 
finest  sights  in  the  world.'  little  dreaming  that  he  was  destined, 
at  no  very  distant  period,  to  be  himself  the  hero  of  scenes  of 
which  this  was  but  the  shadowy  rehearsal.  Shortly  after  this 
exhibition  in  the  Park,  which  was  rendered  still  more  imposing 
by  the  presence  of  the  Vice-regal  cortege  and  all  the  nobility 
and  fashion  of  Dublin,  Captain  Drysdale  arrived  from  Liver- 
pool ;  and  the  vessel  in  which  they  had  taken  passage  being 
ready  to  proceed  to  sea,  they  lost  no  time  in  getting  on  board. 
To  the  great  annoyance  of  young  Barney,  who  wTas  not  pre- 
viously aware  of  the  character  of  the  ship,  he  found  every  part 
of  her  stuffed  almost  to  suffocation  with  'Irish  Redemptioners, 
men  and  women,'  who  were  to  be  his  compagnons  du  voyage. 

As  the  term  '  Redemptioner,'  together  with  the  practice  which 
rendered  its  coinage  necessary,  has  been  gradually  becoming 
obsolete  for  the  last  twenty  years,  it  may  not  perhaps  be  un- 
acceptable to  some  of  our  younger  readers  to  receive  a  brief 
explanation  of  its  meaning  and  application.  The  '  milk  and 
honey'  with  which  the  new  continent   was   described    by  its 


8  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

early  settlers  as  '  flowing,'  very  naturally  stimulated  the  craving 
appetites  of  all  who  found  it  difficult  to  procure  such,  or  any 
other,  food  at  home ;  and  crowds  of  the  half-famished  pea- 
santry of  Europe,  particularly  of  Ireland  and  Germany,  flock- 
ed to  the  nearest  sea-ports,  ready  at  any  sacrifice  to  purchase 
transportation  to  the  land  of  plenty.  Being  for  the  most  part 
destitute  of  money,  friends,  or  influence,  to  procure  for  them 
what  they  so  eagerly  sought,  they  were  compelled  to  submit  to 
such  conditions  as  the  cupidity  or  the  humanity,  as  the  case 
might  be,  of  the  masters  or  owners  of  the  vessels  about  to  un- 
dertake the  voyage,  might  dictate  ;  and  it  became  common  for 
them  to  enter  into  contract,  or  indentures,  the  validity  of  which 
was  afterwards  recognised  and  confirmed  by  legislative  enact- 
ment in  several  of  the  colonies  —  by  which  they  bound  them- 
selves as  slaves  to  the  master  or  owner,  and  upon  their  arrival 
in  the  land  of  their  hopes,  submitted  to  be  sold  at  auction  to 
the  highest  bidder  for  a  term  of  years,  longer  or  shorter,  as  the 
buyer  and  seller  might  agree.  Whole  families  were  thus  sold, 
and  often  separated  among  several  purchasers.  The  money 
obtained  by  the  sale  was  received  by  the  master  or  owner  of  the 
vessel  in  payment  of  the  expenses  of  transportation ;  and  when 
the  miserable  emigrants  had  faithfully  completed  their  terms 
of  servitude,  they  were  set  free,  to  roam  through  the  country 
in  search  of  relatives,  friends  and  a  living  :  —  thus  they  paid 
the  price  of  emigration,  and  redeemed  themselves  from  the 
obligations  of  their  contract.  It  may  be  added,  much  to  the 
honor  of  these  '  Redemptioners,'  that  many  of  their  descend- 
ants are  now  among  the  most  respected  citizens  of  the  United 
States. 

During  the  voyage  from  Dublin,  young  Barney,  though  only 
a  passenger  in  the  vessel,  did  constant  duty  with  the  crew,  and 
labored  diligently  to  increase  his  stock  of  information  in  all  the 
branches  of  his  profession.  From  some  indications  of  a  riot- 
ous disposition  among  the  '  Redemptioners,'  considerable  ap- 
prehensions were  at  one  time  entertained,  that  they  might 
attempt  to  overpower  the  crew  and  seize  possession  of  the 
vessel;  during  the  whole  period  of  this  alarm,  Barney  never 
left  the  deck,  but  watched  with  unremitting  vigilance  every 
movement  of  the  rioters,  and  held  himself  prepared  to  assist* 
in  repelling  the  first  demonstration  of  mutiny,  with  all  the  cool- 
ness and  intrepidity  of  a  veteran.  But  if  such  a  design  was  at 
any  time  contemplated,  it  was  abandoned  as  impracticable,  and 
the  ship  reached  her  port  in  safety. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Barney  visits  Home  —finds  the  Family  in  affliction  —  is  suddenly  recalled  to  hid 
duties  —  makes  several  voyages. —  Captain  Drysdale  dies  at  sea.  —  Young 
Barney  assumes  the  Command,  before  he  is  sixteen.  —  The  alarming  condi- 
tion of  his  Ship.  — He  puts  into  Gibraltar  —  His  energetic  conduct  there. — 
He  arrives  at  Nice  — has  a  dispute  with  his  Merchants  and  the  Governor — ■ 
is  imprisoned  —  displays  great  Firmness  of  Mind  —  visits  the  British  Ambas- 
sador at  Milan,  and  obtains  prompt  redress. — The  Governor's  obsequious 
deportment  to  him.  —  He  arrives  at  Alicant  —  is  detained  in  the  service  of 
the  Count  O'Reilly's  celebrated  Expedition  against  Algiers  —  his  Account  of 
of  that  disgraceful  affair.  — He  sails  for  Baltimore  —  is  boarded  by  a  British 
Sloop  of  VVar,  and  informed  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  —  his  impatience 
to  join  the  '  Rebels'  —  his  arrival  —  and  reception  by  the  owner  of  the  ship. 

There  is  perhaps  no  disposition  altogether  so  frigid  in  its 
nature,  particularly  in  the  outset  of  life,  as  not  to  be  susceptible 
of  some  glow  of  enthusiasm  in  the  anticipations,  which  the 
recollection  of  home  produces,  on  the  return  from  a  first  voy- 
age to  distant,  foreign  lands.  If  the  youthful  adventurer  have 
left  behind  him  parents,  brothers  and  sisters  —  companions  and 
friends  of  his  childhood  —  he  feels  certain  that  his  return  will 
be  "welcomed  with  the  kiss  of  affection ;  that  he  will  find  an 
attentive  and  delighted  auditory  to  his  l  thousand  and  one'  tales 
of  wonder  ;  that  every  '  peril  of  waters,  winds  and  rocks,' 
which  he  has  encountered  —  and  every  marvel  which  he  has 
seen  or  heard  —  will  have  its  charm  as  he  recounts  it  to  the 
beloved  circle  at  home, — -And  who  is  the  traveller,  young  or 
old,  who  does  not  like  to  meet  with  those  who  will  '  with 
greedy  ear  devour  up  his  discourse  ? '  Half  the  enjoyment  of 
every  wanderer  consists  in  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  telling 
what  he  has  seen,  when  he  returns. 

Our  young  sailor  indulged  in  all  these  anticipations,  with  a 
warmth  of  feeling  proportioned  to  the  natural  fervor  of  his 
character.  Eager  as  he  had  shown  himself  to  quit  the  pater- 
nal roof,  he  was  nevertheless  tenderly  attached  to  every  mem- 
ber of  his  family,  and  he  looked  forward  to  the  moment  when 
he  should  again  embrace  them,  with  a  light  and  joyous  heart. 
In  five  minutes  after  he  had  jumped  on  shore  from  the  Dublin 


10 


MEMOIR  OF 


ship,  he  was  on  the  well  remembered  road  to  the  farm  at  Bare 
Creek.  But  what  a  shock  to  his  affectionate  heart  awaited 
him  there !  The  afflictive  dispensation  of  Providence  which 
we  have  already  related,  had  occurred  but  a  few  days  before 
his  arrival,  and  he  found  his  sorrowing  mother  and  family 
plunged  in  the  deepest  grief.  The  sudden  and  unexpected 
appearance  of  her  beloved  and  long  absent  son,  turned  the 
current  of  feeling,  and,  for  a  brief  moment,  the  mother  forgot 
her  wo  as  she  strained  him  to  her  heart.  But  she  was  not  per- 
mitted long  to  enjoy  this  solace ;  the  young  apprentice  had 
scarcely  time  to  exchange  greetings  with  his  early  companions, 
or  to  revisit  the  haunts  of  his  childhood,  before  he  was  recalled 
to  his  nautical  duties.  Captain  Drysdale  had  been  appointed 
to  the  command  of  a  large  ship,  within  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival  —  she  was  then  ready  to  take  in  a  cargo ;  and  the  ser- 
vices of  his  young  brother-in-law  were  too  useful,  on  such  an 
occasion,  to  be  dispensed  with  by  one  whose  feelings  were 
always  under  the  command  of  his  interest. 

From  this  period  to  the  close  of  the  year  1774,  we  find  but 

little  of  interest  in  the  papers  before  us.  Several 
1774      voyages  were  made,  to  Cadiz,  Genoa,   Liverpool,  and 

other  ports  in  Europe,  in  all  of  which  Barney's  schol- 
astic attainments  —  writing  and  arithmetic  —  were  kept  in  con- 
stant exercise :  he  kept  the  logbook,  corrected  all  the  calcula- 
tions, and  had  charge  of  all  the  ship's  accounts,  in  addition  to 
his  nautical  labors,  and  thus  fortunately  for  him  passed  but 
little  idle  time.  After  the  first  of  these  voyages,  he  was  found 
to  have  acquired  so  much  proficiency  in  all  the  duties  of  a 
seaman,  that  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  second  mate, 
with  the  approbation  of  the  owners,  though  he  was  at  the  time 
but  fourteen  years  old.  It  appears,  however,  that  he  was  not 
permitted  to  enjoy  the  emoluments  attached  to  his  rank,  which 
went  into  the  pockets  of  his  avaricious  and  surly  master.  But 
of  this,  Barney  had  certainly  no  right  to  complain,  since,  if  we 
are  not  mistaken,  it  is  the  universal  custom  for  masters  to  re- 
ceive the  wages  earned  by  their  apprentices,  though  a  portion 
of  it  may  sometimes  be  given  up  as  a  matter  of  favor  and 
encouragement ;  and  he  would  probably  not  have  thought  the 
fact  worth  recording,  if  he  had  been  treated  in  other  respects 
with  kindness  or  common  civility  —  but,  notwithstanding  the 
great  profit  which  in  more  than  one  sense  Captain  Drysdale 
derived  from  his  services,  his  conduct  towards  his  young 
brother-in-law  (to  use  his  own  words)  '  was  always  very  severe 
and  brutal.'     It  rarely  happens  otherwise,  where  family  con- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  1 1 

nexions  enter  into  the  additional  relation  of  master  and  appren- 
tice —  the  one  generally  expects  a  greater  degree  of  indulgence 
than  strict  justice  will  admit,  while  the  other,  perhaps,  too  often 
exercises  his  double  authority  with  a  double  portion  of  rigor, 
to  avoid  the  censure  of  partiality  from  other  apprentices.  But 
as  Barney  was  not  the  only  individual  on  board  Drysdale's 
ship,  who  found  occasion  to  complain  of  his  tyranny  and  ill 
treatment,  we  have  no  right  to  believe  that  his  character  of  the 
man  is  overcharged  or  prejudiced  :  Drysdale's  temper  was 
no  doubt  naturally  violent  and  despotic ;  and  the  command  of 
a  ship  is  proverbially  apt  to  render  the  gentlest  temper  a  little 
savage. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1774,  Captain  Drysdale  sailed 
from  Baltimore,  with  a  valuable  cargo  of  wheat,  for  Nice,  then 
a  dependency  of  the  Kingdom  of  Sardinia.  The  ship  had 
scarcely  cleared  the  Capes  of  Virginia  before  she  sprung  a 
leak,  and  upon  examination  it  was  discovered  that  her  pump- 
well  had  sustained  a  serious  damage,  which  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  repair  at  sea.  This  determined  the  captain  to  put  back, 
and  run  the  ship  into  Norfolk.  Here  it  became  necessary,  so 
rapidly  did  the  leak  increase,  to  discharge  a  portion  of  the 
cargo.  Such  a  disaster,  at  the  commencement  of  a  voyage, 
was  enough  to  discompose  the  calmest  nature  ;  and  we  may 
well  suppose,  that  it  did  not  fail  to  have  its  fullest  effect  upon 
the  irritability  of  Captain  Drysdale.  Whether  any  blame  of 
neglect  or  oversight  was  justly  imputable  to  either  of  the  mates, 
or  whether  the  occurrence  was  one  of  those  latent  and  myste- 
rious operations  of  Providence  by  which  human  destiny  is  gov- 
erned, it  appears  that  the  ire  of  the  captain,  with  or  without 
cause,  fell  upon  the  first  mate  :  —  this  officer,  it  seems,  was  not 
of  a  disposition  to  bear  reproof,  in  the  rough  and  insulting 
language  in  which  it  was  the  pleasure  of  the  captain  to  deal 
it  out ;  he  retorted  ;  a  quarrel  ensued  ;  and  the  result  was  that 
the  first  mate  left  the  ship.  His  place  was  not  supplied  — the 
ship  went  to  sea  —  a  few  days  afterwards   Captain   Drysdale 

was  taken  ill,  and   died  in   a  week  —  and  our  young 
1775      apprentice   was  thus  left,  on   the   midst  of  the  wide 

Atlantic,  to  his  own  untried,  unassisted,  energies. 
The  responsibility  attached  to  the  government  and  guardian- 
ship of  a  large  crew,  a  valuable  cargo,  and  a  leaky  ship,  is, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  one  of  awful  consider- 
ation :  the  most  callous  and  experienced  commander,  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  thrown  upon  his  sole  resources,  where  the 
care,  and   the  toil,  and  the   accountability,  had   before  been 


12 


MEMOIR  OF 


shared  with  others,  would  hardly  maintain  a  perfect  tranquillity, 
on  such  an  occasion.  But  all  these  sources  of  anxiety  and 
perturbation  now  pressed  upon  the  bosom  of  a  lad  not  yet 
sixteen  years  of  age !  To  minds  of  ordinary  grasp  and  ex- 
pansion, the  situation  in  which  young  Barney  was  placed  would 
have  been  appalling  :  the  novelty  and  magnitude  of  the  charge 
would  have  been  overwhelming.  There  was  not  another  indi- 
vidual on  board  above  the  rank,  or  ordinary  character,  of  a 
common  sailor  —  not  one  with  whom  he  could  consult,  or 
associate ;  or  whose  advice  would  have  benefited  him,  on  any 
exigency  beyond  the  immediate  sphere  of  a  seaman's  labors  :  — 
the  ship  was  old,  and,  notwithstanding  the  recent  repairs  made 
upon  her  at  Norfolk,  still  leaked  to  an  alarming  degree.  But 
Barney  was  neither  dismayed  by  the  additional  weight  of  care 
and  responsibility  which  thus  devolved  upon  him,  nor  depressed 
by  the  perilous  condition  of  the  ship  ;  he  neither  shrunk  from 
the  one,  nor  gave  way  to  despondence  at  the  contemplation  of 
the  other.  On  the  contrary,  his  courage  rose  with  the  occa- 
sion ;  with  a  noble  daring,  worthy  of  his  future  fame,  he  assum- 
ed the  command  of  the  ship  on  the  instant;  and  determined,  at 
every  hazard,  to  pursue  the  voyage  originally  marked  out  for 
his  deceased  master.  The  crew  (who  were  probably  deceived, 
by  an  appearance  of  maturity  and  a  manliness  of  deportment 
and  action  much  above  his  years,  into  a  belief  that  he  was 
much  older  than  he  really  was),  submitted  to  his  orders  with  a 
respectful  alacrity  of  obedience  —  which  is  not  always  yielded 
even  to  age  and  experience,  particularly  under  the  loose  disci- 
pline of  the  merchant  service;  and  testified  by  their  conduct 
on  all  occasions  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  his  nautical  skill 
and  qualifications. 

Remembering  the  saying  of  the  wisest  man  of  the  world  — 
that  '  in  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  safety'  —  as  we  re- 
flected upon  the  situation  of  Barney  on  this  occasion,  we  could 
not  help  regarding  the  fact,  that  there  was  not  a  man  among 
his  crew  capable  of  aiding  him  with  his  counsel,  as  one  of  the 
most  serious  evils  of  his  position.  But  however  true  this  axiom 
may  be  in  its  general  application  to  human  affairs,  we  are  in- 
duced to  believe  there  are  cases  in  which  safety  lies  in  the 
absence  of  all  advisers ;  and  that  which  at  first  view  we  looked 
upon  as  a  misfortune,  was  perhaps  under  Providence  the  bright 
spot  in  Barney's  fortune.  If  the  crew  had  been  differently 
composed,  and  there  had  been  among  them  any  who  could 
have  fancied  themselves  intellectually  superior  or  equal  to  the 
stripling  who  assumed  the  sole  direction  of  all,  it  is  hardly  to 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  13 

be  questioned  that  his  authority  would  have  been  disputed,  the 
propriety  of  his  orders  canvassed,  comparisons  of  competency- 
made,  and  his  command  in  the  end  controlled,  or  himself  per- 
haps deposed.  But  all  were  alike  conscious  of  inferiority,  and 
the  principle  of  self-preservation  operated  upon  each  to  render 
the  subordination  complete. 

The  first  care  of  the  young  commander  was,  of  course,  to 
pay  the  accustomed  funeral  honors  to  the  remains  of  his  de- 
ceased captain  and  brother-in-law.  To  suppose  that  he  felt 
any  inordinate  grief  at  the  death  of  one  who  had  never  treat- 
ed him  with  kindness,  would  be  absurd  and  unnatural ;  but  he 
remembered  that  the  deceased  had  been  the  husband  of  his 
sister,  and  as  he  committed  the  body  to  the  deep,  he  dropped  a 
tear  of  heartfelt  sympathy  for  an  event  that  made  her  a  widow. 
— This  melancholy  duty  over,  he  began  to  look  to  the  condi- 
tion of  the  ship  ;  every  day  brought  with  it  new  dangers-— the 
leak  increased  so  rapidly  that  incessant  labor  at  the  pumps  was 
found  insufficient  to  keep  her  free,  and  it  became  necessary,  in 
addition,  to  employ  several  of  the  hands  in  the  constant  toil  of 
bailing  with  buckets  from  the  fore-peak  and  after-run.  To  add 
to  their  perils,  as  they  entered  the  passage  into  the  Mediterra- 
nean, a  severe  gale  came  on  —  the  two  seas  forced  their  huge 
billows  against  each  other  as  if  determined  to  bar  all  further 
intercourse  between  tbem  —  the  struggling  ship  heaved  and 
groaned,  like  some  living,  agonized  monster,  as  she  labored 
to  mount  the  swell — opposing  waves  at  every  moment  threat- 
ened to  engulph  her  in  their  yawning  abyss;  and  the  stoutest 
heart  on  board  began  to  look  at  each  recurring  surge  with  less 
and  less  of  hope. 

To  attempt  to  gain  the  port  of  Nice,  even  should  they 
weather  the  storm,  with  a  ship  in  such  condition,  would  have 
been  an  act  of  madness  —  Gibraltar  was  within  sight  and  offer- 
ed the  only  hope  of  safety.  Barney  therefore  determined  to 
bear  up  for  that  port,  which  by  the  blessing  of  Providence  they 
reached,  after  infinite  distress  and  suffering,  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment of  their  fate  —  in  one  hour  more,  the  ship  must  inevitably 
have  gone  down.  The  moment  he  thought  it  possible  for  him 
to  gain  the  shore  in  his  boat,  he  ordered  it  lowered  down,  and 
with  four  of  his  men  proceeded  to  seek  such  aid  as  the  emer- 
gency required.  He  had  hardly  rowed  beyond  hail  of  the 
ship,  when  he  perceived  that  those  left  on  board  had  hoisted  a 
signal  of  distress,  and  that  she  was  visibly  sinking.  This  de- 
termined him  to  change  his  original  purpose,  and  instead  of 
proceeding  to  the  landing,  he  boarded  several  of  the  ships  that 
2 


14  MEMOIR  OF 

were  lying  in  the  harbor,  and  making  his  situation  known,  pro- 
cured immediate  assistance  to  be  sent  to  his  men.  Thus  assur- 
ing their  present  safety,  he  steered  again  for  the  shore,  where 
he  found  access  to  the  proper  authorities,  and  obtained  permis- 
sion to  bring  his  ship  into  the  New  Mole  or  King's  Dock. 

Having  happily  accomplished  these  initial  measures  towards 
providing  for  the  safety  of  his  charge,  he  next  made  application 
to  the  Vice- Admiralty  Court,  by  petition,  to  appoint  a  commis- 
sion of  survey  on  his  ship.  The  prayer  of  the  petition  was 
granted  without  difficulty  ;  and  upon  the  report  of  the  survey- 
ors, the  Court  subsequently  ordered  a  part  of  the  cargo  to  be 
discharged.  It  appeared,  fortunately,  upon  the  further  exami- 
nation which  this  enabled  the  surveyors  to  make,  that  the  cargo 
had  sustained  but  very  little  damage  ;  but  as  to  the  ship,  it  was 
found  that  very  extensive  repairs  would  be  necessary,  to  put 
her  in  a  fit  condition  to  pursue  her  voyage  —  and  that  several 
months  would  probably  be  consumed  in  the  work. 

Here  then  was  another  call  upon  the  mental  energies  of  our 
youthful  commander:  —  the  danger  to  life  excepted,  the  di- 
lemma in  which  he  was  now  called  upon  to  act,  was  more  cal- 
culated to  perplex  and  dismay  him  than  the  worst  he  had  yet 
encountered.  He  was  in  a  foreign  port,  surrounded  by  entire 
strangers,  who  might  be  interested  in  giving  him  wrong  advice  : 
he  appeared  as  commander  of  a  ship  on  the  Rol  de'  Equipage 
of  which  he  was  rated  as  an  '  apprentice,'  and  with  nothing 
but  the  log-book,  which  was  in  his  own  writing,  to  exhibit 
in  confirmation  of  his  claim ;  he  was  totally  ignorant  of  the 
character  of  the  owners  at  home,  and  equally  unacquainted 
with  that  of  the  consignees  abroad;  —  with  a  cargo  liable  to 
perish  from  the  leak  in  the  vessel,  on  the  one  hand  ;  or  in  dan- 
ger of  being  swallowed  up  in  the  expense  of  stopping  that 
leak,  on  the  other.  What  to  decide  ?  should  he  remain  inac- 
tive until  he  could  write  home  and  receive  orders  ?  or  should 
he  act  for  himself,  and  add  to  the  weight  of  accountability  al- 
ready upon  his  shoulders  by  incurring  a  heavy  debt  ?  And  again  ; 
if  he  decided  to  venture  upon  the  expense,  and  delay  of  repairs, 
would  it  be  best  to  discharge  his  crew,  in  whom  he  had  confi- 
dence and  who  had  proved  by  their  conduct  that  they  reposed 
equal  confidence  in  him,  and  take  the  risk  of  shipping  another 
when  they  should  be  wanted,  who  might  not  prove  to  be  so  sub- 
missive and  obedient  —  or  retain  them,  at  whatever  cost  ? — 
These  were  important  matters  of  deliberation,  and  as  puzzling 
as  they  were  important,  to  one  of  so  little  experience.  His 
final   decision  was  probably  that  which  the  soundest  judgment 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  15 

and  discretion  would  have  made,  in  like  circumstances  ;  but  it 
is  hardly  to  be  doubted,  that  he  owed  his  immunity  from  censure 
less  to  the  good  sense  of  his  decision,  than  to  the  good  fortune 
which  stamped  it  with  the  sanction  of  ultimate  success. 

When  he  had  taken  this  resolution,  it  became  necessary  to 
seek  the  acquaintance  of  some  commercial  house,  who  might  be 
willing,  upon  the  only  security  which  he  could  offer,  to  make  the 
advances  that  would  be  required  to  pay  for  the  repairs  and 
the  support  of  himself  and  crew.  He  called  for  this  purpose 
upon  the  respectable  firm  of  '  Murray  and  Son,'  and  having  de- 
livered them  a  '  round,  unvarnished  tale,'  of  his  troubles  and 
embarrassments,  finished  by  asking  them  to  become  his  bank- 
ers. With  a  kind  and  friendly  promptitude  that  evinced  the 
benevolence  of  their  character,  and  sunk  deep  into  the  warm 
heart  of  young  Barney,  these  gentlemen  at  once  expressed 
their  willingness  to  help  him  through  his  difficulties,  and  to 
make  all  required  advances ;  and  as  a  commencement  of  their 
agency,  the  junior  partner  accompanied  him  forthwith  to  place 
the  ship  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  workmen.  Thus  was  one 
heavy  load  of  anxiety  taken  from  his  mind. 

With  all  the  industry  and  diligence  that  could  be  exerted  by 
the  carpenters,  overlooked  as  they  were  by  the  constant  vigi- 
lance of  Barney,  three  months  expired  before  the  ship  was 
pronounced  ready  for  sea.  The  advances  made  by  Messrs 
Murray  and  Son  during  this  time,  amounted  to  seven  hundred 
pounds  sterling —  an  enormous  sum  in  those  days,  and  likely 
to  hang  with  the  weight  of  a  millstone  around  the  neck  of  the 
unauthorized  prodigal,  if  he  should  live  to  present  himself  before 
the  American  owners  !  But  it  was  too  late  now  to  hang  back 
—  the  thing  was  done;  and  all  that  remained,  was  to  complete 
his  security  to  the  merchants.  He  executed  a  Bottomry  Bond 
to  the  Messrs  Murray,  according  to  agreement,  making  it  '  pay- 
able ten  days  after  arrival  at  Nice,'  and  the  renovated  ship  was 
delivered  up  to  him. 

Notwithstanding  the  friendly  readiness  with  which  Messrs 
Murray  and  Son  had  opened  their  purse  to  the  young  stranger, 
and  accepted  the  security  offered  for  reimbursement,  there  was 
probably  some  slight  apprehension  on  their  part,  seeing  that  the 
advances  had  far  exceeded  the  original  calculations  of  either 
party,  —  an  apprehension  which  was  certainly  very  natural  and 
excusable  under  the  circumstances,  and  which  was  not  at  all 
inconsistent  with  the  purest  character  of  benevolence  —  that  it 
might  not  be  altogether  safe  or  prudent  tcf  trust  the  ship  out  of 
their  sight,  in  the  hands  of  one  so  young  and  legally  irresponsi- 


16 


MEMOIR  OF 


ble.  Whether  from  this  apprehension,  however,  or  some  other 
motive  wholly  unconnected  with  the  transaction,  Mr  Murray, 
Junior,  proposed  to  take  passage  with  Barney  to  Nice  —  an  ar- 
rangement with  which,  in  whatever  it  originated,  the  latter  was 
not  only  content,  but  in  the  highest  degree  gratified  and  delight- 
ed, as  it  insured  to  him  the  continued  society  of  an  accomplished 
gentleman,  and  promised  the  further  benefit  of  a  proper  intro- 
duction to  the  merchants  at  Nice  to  whom  his  cargo  was  consign- 
ed and  belonged. 

Thus  were  the  first  perils  and  difficulties  of  the  voyage  over- 
come ;  and,  with  a  lightened  heart,  exulting  in  the  victory  over 
hazards  and  obstacles  under  which  most  inexperienced  youths 
would  have  succumbed  in  despair,  our  'captain,'  —  we  may 
now  certainly  give  him  that  title,  for  no  man  ever  more  richly 
merited  it  —  accompanied  by  his  friend  Mr  Murray,  took  leave 
of  Gibraltar,  and  stood  for  his  original  port  of  destination.  On 
arriving  at  Nice,  it  was  unexpectedly  found  that  the  ship's  draught 
was  too  great  for  the  depth  of  water  in  the  harbor,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  put  into  Villa  Franca,  a  small  port  two  miles  to 
the  eastward.  Here  the  two  gentlemen  landed,  and  proceeded 
immediately  to  visit  the  owners  of  the  cargo  at  Nice.  They 
were  politely  received,  and  Barney  took  care  before  he  left 
them  to  procure  their  assumption  of  the  payment  of  his  Bond 
at  the  time  specified,  and  thus  relieve  his  ship  from  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  Bottomry.  The  merchants  made  no  difficulty  what- 
ever in  giving  their  promise ;  and  in  full  reliance  upon  their 
good  faith,  and  believing  that  all  his"  difficulties  were  now  sur- 
mounted, Barney  returned  to  his  ship,  and  began  forthwith  to 
discharge,  and  send  round  in  lighters,  so  much  of  the  cargo  as 
was  sufficient  to  reduce  the  ship's  draught,  and  enable  him  to 
take  her  into  Nice.  By  the  time  this  purpose  was  accomplished 
the  ten  days  after  arrival  had  elapsed;  and  following  the  Jew's 
advice  to  'look  to  his  bond,'  though  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  had 
crossed  his  mind  as  to  the  honorable  character  of  those  with 
whom  he  had  to  deal,  he  called  upon  the  merchants  '  merely  to 
make  inquiry.'  But  how  was  he  astonished,  disappointed,  and 
chagrined,  to  learn,  that  instead  of  redeeming  the  pledge  they 
had  made  to  him  with  such  readiness  and  apparent  sincerity, 
they  not  only  had  not  paid,  but  peremptorily  refused  to  pay,  a 
single  ducat  of  the  money! 

These  Nicene  dealers  in  quirks  and  quibbles  had,  probably, 
in  the  progress  of  the  'ten  days,'  consulted  their  men  of  law, 
and  been  advised  by  them,  that  neither  they  nor  the  ship  could 
be  legally  held  responsible  for  the  contracts  of  a  minor,  and  ap- 


COxMMODORE  BARNEY. 


17 


prentice.  But  such  law,  if  such  law  there  were,  formed  no 
part  of  the  code  by  which  young  Barney  had  resolved  to  regu- 
late his  intercourse  with  the  world.  He  could  not  understand 
the  subtilties  of  distinction  between  law  and  justice  :  he  regard- 
ed his  word  to  Mr  Murray  to  the  full  as  binding  upon  him  as 
the  most  legally  unexceptionable  bond  :  he  had  given  what  he 
honestly  intended  to  be  an  available  security  upon  the  ship's 
bottom;  and  so  long  as  he  was  recognised  as  the  master,  he 
would  consider  her  as  liable  for  the  debt  contracted  —  and  upon 
the  failure  of  other  means  of  payment,  he  would  instantly  have 
delivered  her  up  to  Mr  Murray  without  subjecting  him  to  the 
trouble  of  a  process  at  law.  But  while  he  felt  thus  bound  in 
honor  and  gratitude  to  see  the  Gibraltar  firm  repaid  for  their 
disinterested  kindness,  he  was  at  the  same  time  too  proud  of 
his  command  to  '  give  up  the  ship,'  without  some  effort  to  com- 
pel the  faithless  merchants  to  a  performance  of  their  promise. 
With  this  view,  when  he  left  the  counting-house  of  the  merchants, 
he  hastened  back  to  his  ship,  shut  down  the  hatches,  and  refus- 
ed to  deliver  another  grain  of  the  wheat,  until  the  bond  should 
be  paid  and  his  bottomry  cancelled.  In  vain  did  the  merchants 
plead,  remonstrate,  and  menace.;  his  resolution  was  not  to  be 
shaken:  —  he  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Governor 
of  the  district;  and  this  high  dignitary,  with  all  the  arrogance  of 
*  brief  authority,'  commanded  him  instantly  to  resume  the  sus- 
pended delivery  of  his  cargo,  '  or  dread  the  consequences  V 
But  the  frowns  and  threats  of  man  had  no  power  to  intimidate 
the  lion  heart  of  Joshua  Barney ;  he  stood  as  firm  and  unsub- 
dued before  His  Excellency,  as  he  had  done  before  the  mer- 
chants, and  persisted  with  equal  steadiness  in  his  refusal  to  deliv- 
er any  more  of  the  cargo,  until  the  claim  of  Mr  Murray  should 
be  satisfied.  The  Governor  was  highly  incensed  at  being  thus 
bearded  and  defied  in  the  very  fortress  of  his  power,  and  order- 
ed the  presumptuous  stripling  to  quit  his  presence.  —  Barney 
very  composedly  retired  ;  but  on  reaching  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs  which  led  from  the  chamber  of  audience,  he  found  him- 
self rather  unexpectedly  surrounded  by  a  guard  of  soldiers,  who 
arrested  and  dragged  him  off  without  ceremony  to  prison. 

Such  a  termination  of  his  adventures  h.d  not  entered  into  the 
calculations  of  Barney  ;  but  nevertheless,  the  horrors  of  a  dun- 
geon did  not  for  a  moment  weaken  the  courage,  or  depress  the 
spirits,  of  this  dauntless  and  intrepid  youth.  After  a  few  hours 
of  solitary  reflection,  however,  he  began  to  perceive  the  little 
utility  there  would  be  in  continuing  a  contest,  powerless  and  un- 
supported as  he  was,  against  the  whole  authority  of  a  city* 
2* 


18 


MEMOIR  OF 


military,  and  municipal,  the  executive  officer  of  which  had  given 
evidence  that  he  acted  from  the  impulse  of  passion,  and  was  re- 
strained by  no  respect  either  for  the  laws  of  nations  or  the  rights 
of  hospitality.  It  was  plain,  even  to  his  inexperience,  that  his 
incarceration  was  the  arbitrary  act  of  an  individual,  not  likely  to 
be  moved  by  any  suggestion  of  reason  or  humanity,  and  who 
might  extend  its  term  to  any  indefinite  period  which  his  own 
despotic  will  or  caprice  might  determine  to  be  expedient :  it  was 
equally  certain,  that,  so  long  as  he  remained  in  prison,  he  was 
literally  hors  du  combat,  and  could  not  hope  to  accomplish  his 
desire  of  justice,  either  to  his  owners,  to  his  friend  Mr  Murray, 
or  to  himself.  It  further  occurred  to  him  as  not  at  all  improba- 
ble, that  a  Governor  thus  disposed  to  play  the  tyrant,  might 
seize  upon  the  pretext  of  his  obstinacy  to  commit  the  still  great- 
er outrage  of  confiscating  the  ship  —  an  apprehension  which 
affected  him  more  than  any  fear  of  danger  to  himself.  He 
thought  that,  under  all  the  circumstances,  it  would  be  no  dere- 
liction of  the  principles  of  honor  or  morality  to  resort  to  a  little 
dissimulation,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  his  liberation.  He 
had  been  told,  when  thus  suddenly  thrust  into  prison,  that  his 
release  would  be  the  immediate  consequence  of  his  assenting  to 
an  unconditional  delivery  of  the  cargo :  he  believed  that  an  as- 
sent so  given,  upon  compulsion,  could  not  in  conscience  be  con- 
sidered as  binding  a  moment  after  he  should  be  freed  from  re- 
straint; —  and  in  short,  he  argued  himself  into  the  persuasion, 
that  he  would  be  perfectly  justifiable  in  putting  on  a  show  of 
submission,  which  he  was  as  far  as  ever  from  intending  to  realize 
when  he  should  be  once  more  in  a  situation  to  resist.  He,  ac- 
cordingly, caused  it  to  be  communicated  to  the  officer  who  held 
him  in  charge,  that  he  was  ready  to  yield  the  point  in  contest 
and  accept  his  liberty  upon  the  terms  offered  :  his  prison  door 
was  immediately  opened   and  he  was  told  that  he  was  free. 

Being  once  more  upon  the  deck  of  his  ship  —  upon  his  own 
territory,  and  within  his  own  castle,  as  it  may  be  said  —  he 
changed  his  tone  of  submission,  proclaimed  that  he  no  longer 
felt  himself  bound  to  observe  the  condition  of  release  which 
necessity  had  forced  him  to  accept,  and  reasserted  his  deter- 
mination to  hold  the  $argo  until  his  bond  was  paid  according  to 
promise,  or  until  superior  force  compelled  him  to  relinquish  it. 
Short  as  had  been  his  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  little  as  he 
knew  of  international  customs  and  courtesies,  he  was  well  aware 
that,  if  any  outrage  were  committed  against  him  while  he  stood 
upon  the  deck  of  his  ship,  under  the  protection  of  his  flag  — 
(the  British  — )  which  he  had  taken  care  to  hoist  the  moment 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


19 


he  got  on  board  —  the  insult  would  be  regarded  as  a  national 
affair ;  and  he  did  not  believe  that  the  Governor,  reckless  and 
impetuous  as  he  had  shown  himself,  would  venture  to  incur  the 
probable  consequences  of  such  an  issue.  But  he  was  mistaken 
in  the  character  of  the  Governor  :  this  haughty  representative 
of  his  Sardinian  majesty,  was  either  too  short-sighted  to  see  the 
risk,  or  too  madly  daring  to  fear  it  —  upon  being  informed  of 
the  persistive  contumacy  of  the  young  commander,  he  despatch- 
ed an  officer,  with  a  strong  military  accompaniment,  on  board, 
with  orders  to  break  up  the  hatches,  proceed  to  discharge  the 
cargo  and  remain  on  board  until  the  whole  was  unladen.  If 
Barney's  means  had  equalled  his  will  to  resist  this  arbitrary  and 
outrageous  procedure,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  there  would 
have  been  a  severe  struggle  for  the  victory  ;  but  not  only  did 
the  soldiers  greatly  outnumber  his  crew,  but  the  latter  were  en- 
tirely unarmed,  and  every  way  unprepared  to  enter  into  contest 
with  a  military  force.  He,  therefore,  gave  the  officer  to  un- 
derstand., that  he  should  consider  his  vessel  as  captured  by  a 
superior,  lawless  force,  and  should  abandon  her ;  but,  added 
he,  '  I  shall  leave  my  colors  flying,  that  there  may  be  no  pre- 
tence hereafter  of  ignorance  as  to  the  nation  to  which  this  insult 
has  been  offered.'  The  officer  looked  astonished,  and  disclaim- 
ed all  intention  to  take  possession  ;  but,  without  further  parley, 
Barney  called  his  crew  together  and  retired  from  the  ship.  He 
boarded  one  of  the  English  vessels  in  the  harbor,  obtained  for 
his  men  a  kind  and  hospitable  reception  on  board,  until  he 
should  be  able  otherwise  to  provide  for  them,  and  then  landed, 
to  seek  out  his  only  friend,  Mr  Murray. 

If  any  reader  of  these  memoirs  should  feel  disposed  to  cen- 
sure the  conduct  of  our  hero  as  rash,  imprudent,  obstinate,  and, 
in  the  affair  of  his  release  from  prison,  insincere,  we  pray  him 
to  remember  that  he  wanted  yet  several  months  of  being  six- 
teen years  old  !  —  that  the  predicaments  in  which  he  was  placed 
were  beset  with  difficulties  —  and  that  the  course  which,  in 
every  instance,  he  adopted,  was  that  which  was  most  likely  to 
bring  personal  vexation  and  trouble  upon  himself,  and  least 
likely  to  injure  the  interests  of  which  he  was  the  guardian  for 
others.  The  correspondents  of  his  American  owners,  the  per- 
sons from  whom  he  had  the  best  right  to  expect  friendship  and 
advice,  were  his  adversaries  and  accusers  —  their  influence 
over  the  only  authority  to  which  he  could  appeal  in  the  city 
seemed  to  be  paramount  —  and  in  short,  every  occurrence 
tended  to  convince  him,  that  he  must  either  quietly  submit  to 
the  grossest  injustice  and  imposition,  or  rely  solely  on  his  own 
energies. 


20 


MEMOIR  OF 


Mr  Murray,  who  had  by  this  time  begun  to  feel  an  interest 
in  what  was  passing  far  beyond  any  which  the  jeopardy  of  '  his 
bond'  could  have  excited,  received  his  young  friend  at  his  lodg- 
ings with  every  demonstration  of  sincere  regard  and  sympathy; 
and  when  Barney  announced  his  determination  to  set  out  forth- 
with for  Milan,  in  order  to  lay  a  representation  of  the  whole 
affair  before  the  British  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Sardinia, 
Mr  Murray  at  once  proposed  to  accompany  him,  and  aid  him 
with  his  advice  and  purse,  so  far  as  either  might  become  neces- 
sary. Nothing  could  have  been  more  grateful  to  the  feelings  of 
Barney  than  this  friendly  proposal ;  for,  though  he  wanted  no 
further  pecuniary  assistance,  and  had  already  decided  in  his 
own  mind  upon  the  method  of  appeal  to  the  English  minister, 
still,  to  have  the  agreeable  company  of  his  friend  on  an  occa- 
sion and  journey  so  entirely  novel  to  him,  was  a  pleasure  which 
he  had  scarcely  dared  to  promise  himself,  and  for  which  he  did 
not  fail  to  express  himself  in  suitable  terms  of  acknowledgment. 
They  had  no  preparations  to  make  for  the  journey,  and  at  an 
early  hour  the  next  morning  they  were  on  the  road  to  the  Italian 
capital. 

We  have  been  exceedingly  disappointed,  and  we  fear  some 
of  our  inquisitive  readers  may  be  so  too,  at  not  finding  even  so 
much  as  a  'log-book  account'  of  this  journey,  which  must 
have  been  full  of  interesting  incidents.  A  single  line  comprises 
all  the  notice  of  it  which  the  young  traveller  thought  fit  to  pre- 
serve ;  and  this  we  give  in  his  own  words  :  '  We  crossed  the  fa- 
mous Alps,  so  noted  for  snow  and  difficult  travelling,  on  mules ;. 
we  passed  through  part  of  Switzerland,  and  arrived  at  Milan.' 
What  a  volume  might  have  been  written  upon  the  incidents  and 
accidents  of  such  a  journey  !  The  man,  or  woman  either,  who 
could  cross  '  the  famous  Alps,'  in  these  our  days,  without  giv- 
ing the  world  a  book,  would  be  looked  upon  as  a  prodigy  of  for- 
bearance —  or  of  selfishness.  But  Napoleon  had  not  then  led 
his  victorious  legions  over  their  snow-crowned  summits,  and  the 
name  wanted  that  inspiring  influence,  which  has  since  given 
birth  to  so  many  splendid  monuments  of  human  genius,  and 
such  interminable  streams  of  human  dulness  and  stupidity. 

Sir  William  Lynch  was,  at  this  period,  his  Britannic  Majesty's 
representative  at  the  Court  of  Sardinia  —  a  gentleman  not  less 
distinguished  for  courtesy  and  urbanity  of  demeanor,  than  for 
the  boldness,  prompitude  and  energy  of  his  diplomacy.  To 
this  able  minister  our  travellers  found  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
immediate  access.  Barney,  being  the  party  complainant,  took 
upon  himself  the  task  of  explaining  the  circumstances  which. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  21 

had  led  to  this  trespass  upon  the  Baronet's  time  and  attention. 
He  did  this  in  plain,  unstudied  terms  ;  and,  more  from  an  un- 
affected indifference  to  all  considerations  merely  personal,  than 
from  any  preconceived  purpose  of  more  effectually  enlisting 
the  feelings  of  the  minister,  he  passed  slightly  over  the  outrage 
committed  against,  himself  and  expatiated  with  great  warmth  on 
the  insult  offered  to  the  English  flag.  The  fiery  indignation  of 
the  young  narrator,  as  he  proceeded  in  describing  the  invasion 
of  his  ship  by  the  soldiery,  communicated  itself  to  Sir  William  ; 
and  on  the  same  day,  this  prompt  and  efficient  minister  address- 
ed the  proper  remonstrance  to  His  Sardinian  Majesty.  Three 
days  afterwards  —  such  was  the  stirring  effect  of  his  mode  of 
negotiation  —  he  caused  it  to  be  communicated  to  Barney  that 
he  might  return  to  Nice,  as  measures  had  already  been  taken  to 
arrange  everything  there  to  his  satisfaction  ! 

It  was  not  without  some  misgivings  as  to  the  likelihood  of  find- 
ing the  minister's  promises  so  speedily  realized,  that  the  two 
friends  began  to  retrace  their  road  to  Nice.  They  could  hardly 
believe  that  any  influence  could  be  so  powerful  as  to  accomplish 
so  much  in  so  short  a  time  ;  but  even  before  they  reached  their 
journey's  end,  their  incredulity  was  converted  into  the  pro- 
foundest  admiration  of  Sir  William's  power,  that  could  thus  *  anni- 
hilate both  time  and  space,'  and  like  the  electric  bolt,  strike  before 
it  could  be  seen.  At  the  distance  of  two  leagues  from  Nice,  they 
were  met  by  the  offending  Governor  and  his  suite,  literally  cap 
in  hand,  who  were  anxiously  expecting  their  return,  ready  to 
make  any  atonement  that  might  be  demanded  !  The  change 
in  the  demeanor  of  His  Excellency  was  ludicrous  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  Barney  could  scarcely  refrain  from  laughing  in  his 
face  at  his  obsequious  endeavors  to  conciliate  him  whom,  but  a 
few  days  before,  he  had  as  a  '  presumptuous  stripling'  dismissed 
from  his  presence.  He  began  to  entertain  a  high  respect  for 
the  art  diplomatique  and  the  peculiar  talents  of  Sir  William 
Lynch. 

Within  an  hour  after  his  return  to  Nice,  his  bond  to  the 
Messrs  Murray  was  discharged,  the  full  amount  of  his  freight 
paid,  and  the  whole  expense  of  his  journey  to  Milan  reimburs- 
ed. The  governor  paid  him  a  formal  visit  on  board  his  ship, 
apologized  again  and  again  for  the  trouble  he  had  caused  him, 
and  offered  to  pay  him  any  sum  he  chose  to  demand,  by  way 
of  satisfaction  for  the  kw  hours'  imprisonment  which  he  had 
been  made  to  suffer.  But  the  young  American  spurned  the 
idea  of  pecuniary  indemnity  for  his  individual  wrongs,  and  crea- 
ted great  surprise  in  the  Governor  by  what  was  thought  to  be 


22 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  '  unexampled  generosity  of  his  acknowledgment,  that  all 
his  injuries  had  already  been  amply  redressed.'  This  contempt- 
ible magistrate,  and  royal  deputy,  however,  was  unable  to  com- 
prehend the  spirit  that  could  profess  to  be  satisfied  with  mere 
words,  when  the  more  solid  apology  of  ducats  and  piastres 
awaited  his  option  ;  and  fearing,  perhaps,  that  something  more 
terrible  than  the  rebuke  which  he  had  already  received  from  his 
royal  master  still  remained  behind,  to  be  called  down  upon  his 
head  at  the  pleasure  of  this  extraordinary  youth  whose  charac- 
ter he  had  so  widely  mistaken,  he  humbled  himself  to  solicit  a 
written  acknowledgment,  that  all  causes  of  complaint  were  re- 
moved. This,  Barney  saw  no  reason  to  refuse;  and  during  the 
few  days  that  he  afterwards  remained  at  Nice,  the  Governor 
continued  to  be  profuse  in  his  attentions  and  offers  of  service. 

All  his  affairs  being  now  happily  arranged,  Barney  was  soon 
ready  to  prosecute  his  voyage.  The  story  of  his  dispute  with, 
and  triumph  over,  the  merchants  and  Governor  of  Nice,  had 
for  several  days  been  the  talk  of  the  city  gossips,  and  before  his 
departure  he  received  visits  of  compliment  and  congratulation 
from  all  the  English  captains  in  the  port.  Such  marks  of  dis- 
tinction had  seldom  been  shown  to  any  master  of  a  merchant 
vessel,  young  or  old  ;  but  they  excited  no  emotion  of  vanity  in 
the  naturally  lofty  and  independent  spirit  of  Barney  ;  he  had  no 
idea  that  he  had  done  anything  more  than  ought  to  have  been 
expected  of  every  man  in  the  same  situation,  and  he  would 
have  been  far  from  regarding  it  as  a  compliment  to  have  been 
told  that  less  was  expected  from  him.  Every  moment  that  he 
could  spare  from  the  calls  of  duty,  was  passed  with  his  friend 
Mr  Murray,  who,  though  many  years  his  senior,  had  from  their 
first  interview  treated  him  as  an  equal,  and  to  this  circumstance 
may  be  attributed  the  fondness  of  Barney  for  his  society,  and 
the  lasting  advantages  he  derived  from  his  instructive  conversa- 
tion. The  attachment  which  they  formed  for  each  other  on  this 
occasion,  was  never  interrupted.  Mr  Murray,  though  he  had 
no  longer  any  business  to  detain  him  at  Nice,  delayed  his 
departure  until  his  young  friend  was  ready  to  sail ;  they  then 
took  an  affectionate  leave  of  each  other,  and  weighed  anchor 
almost  at  the  same  moment  for  their  respective  destinations. 

The  orders  under  which  Barney  acted,  carried  him  from 
Nice  to  Alicant,  in  Spain,  where  he  arrived  some  time  in  the 
month  of  June,  1775 — and,  as  if  Providence  had  designed 
that  his  first  voyage  as  commander  should  be  signalized  by  every 
variety  of  incident  that  could  most  effectually  try  his  temper,  his 
courage,  and  his  skill,  the  moment  of  his  arrival  was  that  in 


COMMODORE  BARNElf.  23 

which  his  Catholic  Majesty  was  fitting  out  his  memorable  expe- 
dition against  Algiers.  The  consequence  was  that  Barney 
shared  the  fate  of  every  other  master  of  a  vessel  then  in  the 
port  of  Alicant,  English  as  well  as  others ;  that  is,  he  was  de- 
tained and  employed  in  the  service  of  the  expedition.  The 
army,  consisting  of  nearly  thirty  thousand  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  unfortunate  Irish  General,  the  Conde  O'Reilly, 
were  for  the  most  part  already  embarked.  Six  line-of-battle- 
ships,  double  that  number  of  frigates,  and  galliots,  xebecs,  bombs 
and  other  armed  vessels  of  various  descriptions,  amounting  in  the 
whole  tofiftyone  —  with  three  hundred  and  fortyfour  transports, 
all  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Don  Pedro  de  Castijon  — 
constituted  the  fleet  destined  to  convey  and  cooperate  with  the 
land  forces ;  and  the  whole  together  formed  one  of  the  most 
splendid  and  formidable  martial  arrays,  that  Europe  had  ever 
before  witnessed.  It  has  been  often  remarked  that  no  eight  in 
the  world  is  more  animating  and  full  of  incitement  than  a  large 
ship,  with  all  her  canvas  spread  to  the  breeze  :  the  dullest 
spirit  is  roused  at  beholding  the  mighty  fabric  moving  upon  the 
face  of  the  waters  as  if  endued  with  life  and  sensation  :  —  what 
then  must  have  been  the  effect  upon  the  heart  of  a  young  mar- 
iner, whose  every  pulse  throbbed  with  professional  enthusiasm, 
as  he  viewed  for  the  first  time,  under  full  sail,  nearly  four  hund- 
red of  these  ocean  castles,  all  gorgeously  decked  with  the  '  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  glorious  war  !'  It  was  a  sight  which  he 
could  never  forget;  and  he  would  have  regarded  even  the 
chance  of  seeing  it  —  much  more  that  of  sharing,  in  however 
humble  a  degree,  its  anticipated  honors  —  as  cheaply  purchased 
by  far  greater  personal  inconveniences  than  any  that  could  arise 
from  a  few  days'  or  weeks'  detention.  But  '  vanity  of  vanities  !' 
what  a  difference  was  there  between  the  going  forth  and  the 
coming  back  of  this  proud  and  magnificent  armada. 

On  the  day  previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  fleet,  there  was  a 
grand  ceremonial  in  the  church  of  San  Francisco,  and  prayers 
were  offered  for  the  success  of  the  expedition  —  after  which 
the  Count  O'Reilly  delivered  an  oration,  which  was  of  course 
unintelligible  to  Barney,  who  had  only  yet  picked  up  a  few 
Spanish  words,  in  his  limited  intercourse  with  the  natives  of 
Alicant.  It  was  received,  however,  with  marks  of  applause  by 
a  crowded  audience,  and  every  body  seemed  already  to  envy 
the  laurels,  which  nobody  doubted  the  commander-in-chief 
would  gather  from  the  Moors  he  was  going  to  exterminate  ! 
The  result  of  the  expedition  is  well  known  —  instead  of  return- 
ing with  the  expected  crown  of  victory,  the   unhappy  Conde 


24  MEMOIR  OF 

came  back  to  receive  the  curses  and  execrations  of  a  disap- 
pointed, disgraced,  and  infuriated  country.  The  historical 
details  of  this  £reat  blot  upon  the  chivalry  of  Spain  are  for  the 
most  part  confused  and  contradictory,  all  the  officers  of  rank 
engaged  in  it  being  alternately  censured  and  excused,  accord- 
ing to  the  personal  feelings  of  the  writer ;  —  that  there  were 
egregious  blunders  committed  in  the  mode  of  attack,  is  beyond 
all  question  ;  but  by  whom,  will  in  all  probability  never  be  truly 
known.  To  us  it  seems,  that  the  first  great  fault,  which  more 
than  all  others  led  to  the  disastrous  issue,  was  committed  by  the 
King  of  Spain  himself,  in  the  great  publicity  given  to  his  pre- 
parations, and  the  length  of  time  consumed  in  their  completion. 
The  whole  of  Europe  were  acquainted  with  his  object,  and  it 
was  absurd  to  expect  that  those  most  concerned  would  either 
remain  ignorant  of  it,  or,  knowing  it,  fail  to  put  themselves  in  a 
state  of  defence.  Had  the  expedition  been  secretly  planned 
and  promptly  executed,  it  would  never  have  been  left  to  Louis 
Philip  of  France  to  control  the  destiny  of  a  Dey  of  Algiers. 

When  Barney  reached  Alicant,  one  of  the  first  things  he 
heard  was,  that  a  serious  disagreement  existed  between  the 
Count  O'Reilly  and  the  Spanish  Admiral  Don  Pedro  de  Cas- 
tijon  ;  of  its  causes  nothing  was  said,  but  it  seemed  to  be  the 
general  impression,  that  they  sailed  from  Alicant  with  a  mutual 
determination  to  work  the  ruin  of  each  other  —  at  least  it  can 
hardly  be  doubted,  that,  with  the  heads  of  the  two  branches  of 
the  armament  thus  at  variance,  there  could  be  no  concerted 
plan  of  cooperation,  and  without  that,  it  was  impossible  that  a 
successful  disembarkation  could  be  made,  in  the  face  of  an 
expecting  enemy.  The  Count  O'Reilly  had  another  adversary, 
in  one  of  his  Council  of  War,  Major  General  Romana,  who 
probably  thought  the  honor  of  his  country  outraged  in  the 
selection  of  a  foreigner  to  command  her  armies ;  but  as  this 
gallant  officer  fell  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  bravely  sealing 
with  his  blood  the  evidence  of  his  fidelity,  it  would  be  ungener- 
ous to  cast  upon  his  memory  any  portion  of  the  stigma,  which 
afterwards  lit  upon  the  conduct  of  his  surviving  colleagues.  — 
It  was  on  the  1st  of  July  that  the  fleet  anchored  in  the  Bay  of 
Algiers,  and  here  they  lay,  in  full  view  of  an  enemy  more  than 
four  times  their  number,  until  the  7th,  before  any  attempt  was 
made  to  effect  a  landing.  The  interval,  according  to  the 
rumor  which  prevailed  throughout  the  fleet,  was  spent  in  a  suc- 
cession of  disgraceful  controversies  between  the  principal  offi- 
cers, as  to  the  proper  point  and  mode  of  attack.  On  the  day 
mentioned,  the  launches,  with  about  one  third  of  the  troops  on 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  25 

board,  made  a  movement  towards  the  shore  ;  but,  being  un- 
supported by  the  naval  force,  they  returned  to  their  transports, 
having  accomplished  nothing  by  the  demonstration  but  to  pre- 
pare the  enemy  for  their  future  reception.  Another,  and  final 
effort  was  made  on  the  succeeding  morning,  the  galleys  and 
some  of  the  ships  of  war  making  a  simultaneous  movement  to 
cover  the  disembarkation ;  and  if  ever  troops  were  led  to  the 
slaughter,  without  even  a  forlorn  hoj?e  of  escape,  it  was  on  this 
occasion.  The  enemy  covered  the  extensive  plain  that  rose 
from  the  beach  at  the  point  of  landing,  in  numbers  exceeding, 
at  the  lowest  calculation,  one  hundred  thousand,  the  greater 
part  of  which  were  cavalry,  and  all  ready  to  show  the  Moorish 
welcome  to  unbidden  guests.  The  several  divisions  of  Spanish 
troops,  without  waiting  to  be  supported,  or  even  to  form  on  the 
beach  as  they  landed,  and  displaying  more  bravery  than  pru- 
dence or  discipline,  moved  on  in  rapid,  confused,  and  eager 
march  to  the  unequal  and  fatal  contest.  They  were  met  by 
the  Moorish  horse,  within  less  than  musket  shot  from  the  beach, 
and  repulsed  at  every  charge  with  tremendous  slaughter.  The 
Spaniards  fought  with  the  desperate  valor  of  devoted  men ;  but 
what  could  human  courage  effect  against  the  overwhelming 
disparity  of  force  that  everywhere  surrounded  them  !  By  the 
time  the  last  boats  had  touched  the  beach  with  the  troops  which 
had  been  destined  as  a  part  of  the  first  column  of  attack,  the 
disorder  was  inextricable ;  and  such  was  the  unbroken  and 
irresistible  impetuosity  of  the  Moorish  cavalry,  that  all  attempts 
to  repair  the  first  error  of  the  Spanish  assailants  were  found  to 
be  ineffectual.  The  victory  of  the  Moors  was  already  com- 
plete ;  the  Spaniards  were  driven  back  upon  their  boats  in  the 
extremest  disorder  and  confusion,  and  so  vigorously  were  they 
pursued  by  the  mounted  Moors,  that  many  of  them  were  cut 
down  in  the  very  act  of  jumping  into  the  launches  —  sauve  qui 
pent  was,  if  not  the  cry  of  authority,  at  least  the  principle  that 
governed  every  individual,  in  the  retreat ;  to  bring  off  their 
dead,  or  even  to  take  care  of  their  wounded,  was  therefore  not 
thought  of;  and  the  discomfited,  abased,  and  mortified  survi- 
vors, after  returning  to  their  ships,  had  the  additional  shame  and 
horror  of  witnessing  a  sight  that  must  have  preyed  upon  their 
hearts  to  the  hour  of  death — their  killed  and  wounded  com- 
panions, that  were  left  upon  the  field  of  battle,  were  thrown 
together  in  undistinguishable  piles  and  burned  before  their  eyes  ! 
Such  is  the  substance  of  the  brief  notes,  made  by  an  eye- 
witness of  this  most  unfortunate,  ill-planned,  and  disgraceful 
expedition.  The  fleet  returned  immediately  to  Alicant,  and 
3 


26 


MEMOIR  OP 


the  ships  that  had  been  pressed  into  the  service  as  transports 
were  discharged.  Barney's  business  at  this  port  was  soon 
concluded,  and  he  took  his  departure  for  Baltimore  —  leaving 
the  exasperated  community  oi"  Alicant,  denouncing  the  bitter- 
est vengeance  upon  the  unfortunate  Count  O'Reilly,  and  pour- 
ing out  execrations  upon  every  officer,  by  turns,  who  had  the 
misfortune  to  belong  to  an  expedition,  from  which  they  had 
expected  such  different,  such  glorious,  results.  As  he  passed 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  Barney  could  not  resist  the  oppor- 
tunity of  paying  his  respects  to  the  Murray s  —  he  passed  a 
night  with  them  of  the  highest  social  enjoyment ;  and  the  next 
morning  at  an  early  hour,  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  far  famed 
columns  of  Hercules,  and  once  more  took  his  course  upon  the 
broad  Atlantic. 

He  entered  the  Chesapeake  Bay  on  the  1st  of  October,  and 
was  soon  afterwards  boarded  by  an  officer  from  the  British  Sloop 
of  war  '  Kingfisher/  who,  after  searching  his  ship  and  taking 
possession  of  all  the  letters  and  the  few  arms  that  were  found  on 
board,  gave  him  the  exciting  information  that  his  countrymen 
were  in  a  state  of  rebellion,  and  that  two  battles  had  already 
been  fought,  at  Lexington,  and  Bunker's  Hill.  Barney  literally 
i  devoured'  the  intelligence  '  with  greedy  ear,'  and  was  scarcely 
restrained  by  the  presence  of  His  Majesty's  loyal  officers,  and 
the  gaping  mouths  of  the  '  Kingfisher,'  from  making  such  an 
exhibition  of  his  own  '  rebellious'  spirit,  as  would  in  all  proba- 
bility have  subjected  him  to  detention,  at  least,  if  not  to  severe 
punishment ;  but  fortunately  for  him,  his  discretion  prevailed, 
and  he  was  permitted  to  proceed.  He  had  been  too  little  at 
home  from  the  period  of  his  twelfth  year,  to  hear  much  of  the 
rumbling  which  so  long  preceded  the  great  political  storm  now 
at  hand  ;  and  if  the  idea  of  a  revolution  had  ever  entered  his 
mind,  it  was  as  of  some  far  distant  future  event,  the  glories  of 
which  might  have  been  faintly  shadowed  to  his  youthful  fancy, 
but  never  with  such  distinctness,  even  in  his  wildest  dream  of 
ambition,  as  to  leave  the  impression  of  his  own  participation. 
But  here  it  was, — just  beginning  to  develope  its  teeming  dan- 
gers and  honors,  at  the  very  moment  that  he  himself  was  burst- 
ing into  the  first  vigor  of  youth,  and  panting  for  opportunities 
of  distinction.  Could  it  be  true  ?  And  would  he  indeed  have 
a  chance  of  drawing  a  sword  in  the  service  of  his  country  ? —  If 
he  could  have  added  wings  to  his  ship,  or  fleetness  to  the  breeze 
that  was  wafting  her  gently  along  the  smooth  surface  of  the 
Chesapeake,  the  days  that  intervened  before  he  stood  upon  the 
shore  of  his  native   city  would  have  been  converted  into  min- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  27 

utes — so   eager  was  he  to  hear  a  confirmation   of  the  news. 
When  at  last  he  landed,  and  saw  and  heard  on  every  hand  the 
din  of  preparation,  and  listened  to  the  groups  of  old  and  young 
as  they  recounted  at  corners  and  public  places  the  story  of  his 
country's  wrongs,  and   the  long  catalogue    of  British  tyranny 
and  injustice,  his  heart  grew  big,  his  whole  frame  dilated  —  he 
felt  himself  already  a  Commodore  !  —  and  glowing  with  the  pride 
of  this  anticipated  promotion,  he  suddenly,  and  unannounced,  pre- 
sented himself  in  the  counting-house  of  the  plain,  plodding,  sour 
old  merchant,  who  owned  '  the  good  ship  Sidney.' —  The  old  gen- 
tleman raised  his  eyes  from  the  leger  (the  mysterious  pages  of 
which  he  was  intently  studying,)  and  fixed  them  with  an  inquisi- 
tive stare  upon  the  young  intruder.  —  'Who  are  you,  sir?'   at 
length  escaped  from   him,  in  a  tone  of  surly  impatience.  — '  1 
am  Joshua  Barney,  master  of  your  ship,  just  arrived  !'  — '  Mas- 
ter of  my  ship,  are  you,  sir  ?    and  how  dare  you,  sir,   an  ap- 
prentice boy,  presume  to  take  command  of  a  ship  of  mine  V  — 
The  '  apprentice  boy'  turned  upon  him  a  look  of  calm  disdain, 
and  throwing   upon  the  desk  before  him   the  ship's  papers  and 
other  documents  of  the   voyage  which  he  had   brought  in  his 
hand  —  '  Read  these  !'  said  he,  and  without  further  reply  walked 
to  the  window,  where  he  amused  himself  in  looking  at  the  vari- 
ous individuals  that  passed  to  and  fro.  —  The  merchant  in  the 
meantime  took  up  the  bundle  of  papers,  pulled  down  his  specta- 
cles from  the  top  of  his  head,  and  was  soon  profoundly  interest- 
ed in   the    perusal. — The  operation   was  slow — time   wore 
away,   and  Barney's  patience  began  to  wear  with  it :  —  he  had 
counted  every  brick  in  the  opposite  house,  and  read  every  sign, 
backwards  and  forwards,  anagrammatizing  the  names,  as  far  as 
he  could  see  them  up  and  down  street  —  he  coughed  —  walked 
to  the  fire — 'trod  upon  the  toes  of  the  great  watch-dog  that  lay 
stretched  before  it,  and  knocked  down  the  poker.  —  Everything 
has  its  end  —  the  last    paper  was  at  length  read,  and  carefully 
refolded  :    the    old   gentleman  lifted  his    spectacles  once  more 
above  his  forehead,  and  rising  from  his  seat  with  an  agility  that 
little  belonged  to  his  ordinary  motions,  he  advanced  to  the  young 
seaman,  seized  his  hand,  and  giving  it  a  hearty  shake  with  both 
his  own,  exclaimed,  '  Captain  Barney,  you  are  welcome  home, 
sir  !    I  am  glad  to  see  you  !    I  congratulate  you   heartily  upon 
your  safe  return  !  your  conduct  meets  my  cordial  approbation, 
sir,  and   I  am   proud  to  find  that  I  have  so  deserving    a  young 
man  in  my  employ.  —  Take  a  seat,  sir ;   we  shall  see  what 's  to 
be  done  immediately  !  —  The  compilation  with  which  the  ven- 
erable merchant  commenced  this  flattering  address,  was  more 


28  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE   BARNEY. 

soothing  than  all  the  rest  of  the  compliment :  — to  be  called 
'  captain,'  by  one  who  had  the  legitimate  right  to  bestow  such 
titles,  was  indeed  an  honor  to  be  prized  ;  it  wiped  away  all  re- 
membrance of  his  insulting  reception,  and  when  the  business  of 
the  interview  was  finished,  he  made  his  retiring  bow  in  the  firm 
persuasion  that  John  Smith  was  one  of  the  first  merchants  in 
the  world  ! 

Thus  ended  this  truly  eventful  voyage  —  the  ship  had  been 
absent  nearly  nine  months,  during  the  last  eight  of  which  Bar- 
ney had  been  her  commander,  though  at  the  moment  of  his 
arrival  but  sixteen  years  and  three  months  old.  He  had  al- 
ready gone  through  scenes,  and  triumphed  over  difficulties,  such 
as  occur  to  few  seamen  in  the  course  of  a  long  life  spent  in 
navigation.  If  he  had  not  always  acted  with  the  prudence  that  be- 
longs only  to  experience,  he  had  at  least  on  no  occasion  failed  to 
show  that  he  possessed  the  requisite  courage  and  perseverance 
to  follow  to  its  consummation  the  course  he  believed  to  be  pro- 
per, to  defend  the  interests  entrusted  to  him,  and  to  maintain  his 
own  rights ;  and  if  success  in  enterprise  be  the  test  of  merit  or 
of  talents,  he  had  abundant  reason  to  be  conscious  of  eminent 
desert. 


CHAPTER  III. 


State  of  the  Country  in  the  Autumn  of  1775.  —  Barney's  Ship  is  laid  up.  —  He 
offers  his  services  on  board  the  sloop  of  War  Hornet  —  is  made  Master'a- 
mate.  —  He  is  the  first  person  that  hoists  the  American  Flag  in  the  State  of 
Maryland.  —  The  Hornet  joins  the  Squadron,  at  Philadelphia,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Commodore  Hopkins.  —  They  sail  for  the  Bahamas  —  enter  New- 
Providence,  and  take  possession  of  the  Town  and  Fort  without  resistance. — 
The  Squadron  returns.  —  The  Hornet  experiences  a  disaster  —  encounters 
bad  weather  on  the  coast  of  South  Carolina  —  returns  to  the  Delaware. — 
Barney  discovers  his  Captain  to  be  a  coward  —  his  indignation  thereat  —  he 
becomes  himself  the  Commander  —  and  succeeds  in  reaching  Philadelphia 
in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the  British  Cruisers. 

On  the  return  of  young  Barney  to  his  native  city,  (in  Octo- 
ber, 1775)  the  whole  country,  as  we  have  seen,  was  in  a  state 
of  political  excitement  —  the  ferment  was  universal ;  and 
though,  perhaps,  but  few  individuals  of  the  great  mass  that  were 
then  in  motion,  had  the  remotest  idea  of  a  total  disruption  of  the 
ties  that  connected  them  with  the  mother  country,  yet  all  were 
ready  to  fly  to  the  resort  of  arms  in  defence  of  their  colonial 
rights  —  upon  which  the  government  of  Great  Britain  had  been 
gradually  making  encroachments,  until  her  system  had  become 
insupportably  tyrannical  and  oppressive.  In  the  state  of  things 
that  then  existed,  it  was  natural  that  commercial  enterprise 
should  be  in  a  great  measure  suspended — the  mouth  of  the 
Chesapeake  was  watched  by  British  ships  of  war ;  and  the 
merchants  of  Baltimore,  doubtful  whether  their  most  peaceful 
and  legitimate  intentions  of  trade  would  be  respected,  for  the 
most  part  laid  up  their  vessels.  The  death  of  Captain  Drys- 
dale  had  of  course  annulled  the  articles  of  apprenticeship  by 
which  Barney  had  been  bound,  and  he  was  now  his  own  mas- 
ter, free  to  engage  in  the  service  that  best  suited  his  inclination. 
The  reader  has  seen  enough  of  his  character  to  be  able  to  anti- 
cipate, that  it  was  not  long  a  subject  of  hesitation  with  him, 
where  he  should  seek  employment :  —  that  which  was  most 
likely  to  be  attended  with  active  enterprise  and  honorable  dan- 
ger, and  which  promised  the  greatest  scope  to  youthful  ambi- 
3* 


30  MEMOIR  OF 

tion,  would  naturally  offer  the  strongest  attractions  to  such  a 
mind  as  h's ;  and  it  will  readily  be  believed  that,  even  if  Mr 
Smith's  ship  had  not  been  among  those  laid  up,  unless  she  had 
been  armed  and  commissioned  to  fight  her  own  way  through  all 
chances  of  insult,  he  would  have  resigned  all  his  claims  to  the 
honor  of  continuing  to  command  her,  for  a  subordinate  rank  in 
the  service  of  his  country. 

He  scarcely  allowed  himself  time  for  a  short  visit  to  his  moth- 
er and  family,  before  he  became  one  of  the  busiest  actors  in  the 
stirring  scenes  of  the  day.     A  couple  of  small  vessels  were  at 
this  time  under  equipment  at  Baltimore,  intended  to  join  the 
small  squadron  of  ships  then  at  Philadelphia  under  the  command 
of  Commodore  Hopkins.     To  the  commander  of  one  of  these 
vessels,  the  sloop  Hornet,  of  ten  guns,  Barney  offered  his  ser- 
vices, and  was  gladly  received  on  board  in  the  character  of 
master's-mate,  the  second  rank  in  the  sloop.     A  crew  had  not 
yet  been  shipped,  and  the  duty  of  recruiting  one  was  assigned 
to  Barney.     Fortunately  for  his  purpose,  just  at  this  moment  a 
new   American  Flag,  sent  by   Commodore  Hopkins  for  the 
service   of  the  Hornet,   arrived    from   Philadelphia  —  nothing 
could  have  been  more  opportune  or  acceptable  —  it  was  the 
first  '  Star-spangled  Banner'  that  had  been  seen  in  the  State  of 
Maryland  ;  and  the  next  morning,  at  sunrise,  Barney  had  the 
enviable  honor  of  unfurling  it  to  the  music  of  drums  and  fifes, 
and  hoisting  it  upon  a  staff  planted  with  his  own  hands  at  the 
door  of  his   rendezvous.     The   heart-stirring    sounds  of  the 
martial  instruments,  then  a  novel  incident  in  Baltimore,  and  the 
still  more  novel  sight  of  the  Rebel  colors  gracefully  waving  in 
the  breeze,   attracted  crowds  of  all  ranks  and  eyes  to  the  gay 
scene  of  the  rendezvous,  and  before  the  setting  of  the   same 
day's  sun^  the  young  recruiting  officer  had  enlisted  a  full  crew  of 
jolly  i  rebels'  for  the  Hornet. 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  November  —  less  than  five  weeks 
after  Barney  had  landed  from  his  nine  months'  voyage  —  the 
two  Baltimore  vessels  left  the  Patapsco  in  company.  They 
were  fortunate  enough  to  descend  the  Chesapeake  and  pass  the 
Capes  without  being  perceived  by  the  British  cruisers,  several 
of  which  were  known  to  be  in  Hampton  Roads.  They  found 
the  little  fleet  of  Commodore  Hopkins  —  consisting  of  the  Al- 
fred (the  flag-ship)  of  30  guns:  the  Columbus  of  30;  the 
Cabot  (brig)  of  16;  the  Andrea  Doria  (brig)  of  14;  and  the 
Providence  (sloop)  of  1%  together  with  the  Fly  (tender)  — 
anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  ;  and  the  sight  of  this 
little  squadron,  humble  as  it  was  in  appearance,  and  still  more 


COMxMODORE  BARNEY.  31 

feeble  as  it  was  in  reality,  gave  a  greater  glow  of  delight  to  the 
heart  of  Barney  than  all  the  splendors  and  magnificence  of  the 
great  Spanish  armada  before  its  pride  was  brought  low.  In  this, 
he  would  be  an  active  agent,  however  humble  :  in  that,  he  was 
a  passive  instrument.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  objects  or  des- 
tination of  the  little  fleet;  but  he  knew  that  he  would  be  a 
sharer  in  whatever  dangers  it  might  encounter,  and  that  if 
honors  were  to  be  won,  it  depended  upon  himself  whether  to 
share  them  also. 

A  few  days  after  the  Hornet  and  Wasp  had  joined  the  fleet, 
the  signal  was  made  to  weigh  anchor,  and  in  a  little  time  they 
were  at  sea.  The  island  of  Abico  had  been  previously  desig- 
nated as  the  place  of  rendezvous,  should  anything  occur  to  sep- 
arate the  fleet ;  and  at  this  place  accordingly  they  all  met,  in  a 
short  time  after  leaving  the  Delaware,  without  an  adventure  of 
any  sort  by  the  way.  Here  the  Commodore  made  known  the 
object  of  his  expedition.  It  had  been  ascertained,  that  a  large 
quantity  of  the  munitions  of  war  were  collected  at  New  Provi- 
dence, (one  of  the  Bahama  Islands)  the  possession  of  which 
was  extremely  desirable,  for  the  service  of  the  infant  navy, 
which  was  in  every  respect  but  ill  provided  to  sustain  a  length- 
ened contest  with  the  giant  power,  which  our  angry  i  mother- 
country'  was  spreading  everywhere  on  our  waters.  Commo- 
dore Hopkins  delayed  not  a  moment  after  his  squadron  had  all 
reached  Abico,  to  make  his  purposed  descent  upon  New  Provi- 
dence. Contrary  to  expectation,  and  we  may  add  contrary  to 
the  hopes  of  several  of  his  young  officers,  the  town  and  fort 
surrendered  to  him  without  firing  a  shot.  He  found,  as  had 
been  anticipated,  an  immense  quantity  of  ammunition,  great 
guns,  mortars,  shells,  and  other  valuable  stores,  of  which  hav- 
ing secured  the  possession,  lie  left  the  island  and  sailed  again 
for  the  north. 

The  weather  was  excessively  cold  and  tempestuous  as  the 

fleet  approached  the  coast,  and  the  nights  were  so  dark 
1776     and  hazy,  that   even  signal    lights  were  invisible    from 

one  vessel  to  another.  On  one  of  these  black  and 
stormy  nights,  the  Fly-tender  '  ran  foul  of  the  Hoinel,'  and 
unfortunately  carried  away  her  mast-head  and  boom.  By 
this  accrdent,  which  was  altogether  irreparable  on  such  a 
night,  the  Hornet  was  separated  from  the  fleet,  and  the  next 
morning  was  discovered  to  be  almost  a  wreck,  with  not  one 
of  her  consorts  in  sight.  In  this  situation,  it  was  the  joint 
opinion  of  the  captain  and  our  friend  Barney,  that  it  would 
be  prudent  to  steer  for  the  nearest  coast,  and  with  such  as- 


32 


MEMOIR  OP 


sistance  as  might  be  procured,  repair  the  damages  of  the  sloop, 
before  they  attempted  to  follow  the  course  of  the  fleet.  They 
reached  the  coast  of  South  Carolina,  but  were  for  several  days 
unable,  owing  to  the  boisterous  state  of  the  weather,  to  send  a 
boat  on  shore ;  and  when  at  last  they  effected  it,  so  violent  a 
gale  came  on  before  the  boat  could  return,  that  they  deemed  it 
advisable  rather  to  leave  her  and  put  out  into  the  open  sea,  than 
encounter  the  risk  of  being  driven  ashore  where  all  must  have 
perished.  They  did  all  that  was  in  their  power  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  were  fortunate  enough,  after  much  labor,  fatigue,  and 
danger  to  arrive  off  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  about  the  first  of 
April,  1776.  During  this  cruise,  (if  the  being  driven  about  at 
the  mercy  of  the  elements  for  many  weeks  may  be  so  called,) 
Barney  thought  he  discovered  many  evidences  of  a  want  of 
courage  and  firmness  of  mind  in  his  commanding  officer,  and 
before  they  entered  the  Delaware  he  became  assured  of  his  utter 
cowardice  and  unvvorthiness  to  bear  a  commission.  From  the 
pilot,  who  came  off  to  them  a  little  southward  of  the  Capes, 
they  received  information  that  the  British  ship  Roebuck  of  44 
guns  lay  at  anchor  in  the  roads,  and  that  an  armed  tender  be- 
longing to  her  was  at  that  moment  cruising,  off  and  on,  making 
prizes  of  such  American  vessels  as  were  unable  to  cope  with 
her.  The  captain  of  the  Hornet,  upon  hearing  this  intelligence, 
and  manifestly  with  the  design  to  avoid  a  meeting  with  the  ten- 
der, ordered  the  pilot  to  change  the  course  of  the  sloop  and  steer 
for  Cape  May  ;  but  it  was  ordained,  that  the  true  character  of 
this  man  should  be  developed,  at  a  moment  when  the  discovery 
would  be  attended  with  least  disgrace  to  the  cause  in  which  he 
had  embarked.  Instead  of  avoiding  a  meeting  by  running  over 
to  Cape  May,  it  seems  he  got  upon  the  very  track  of  the  tender, 
and  soon  fell  in  with  her.  The  force  oi  the  sloop  was  so  far 
superior  to  that  of  the  Roebuck's  tender,  that  the  latter  would 
have  been  as  unwilling  to  take  the  hazard  of  a  rencounter  as  the 
American  captain  showed  himself  to  be,  if  appearances  had  not 
been  deceptive  ;  the  sloop's  guns  had  all  been  housed  dunng  the 
stormy  weather  she  had  experienced,  and  still  remained  in  that 
state,  invisible  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  tender,  who 
mistaking  her  for  a  common  coaster,  bore  down  upon  her  with 
the  expectation,  no  doubt,  of  making  her  an  easy  prey.  Bar- 
ney had  been  watching  her  manoeuvres  with  great  interest;  he 
stood  by  one  of  the  guns,  which  he  ordered  to  be  run  out  the 
moment  she  came  along  side,  and  was  in  the  act  of  applying  the 
lighted  match  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  when  his  captain  or- 
dered him  not  to  fire,   as  he  had  '  no  inclination  for   shedding 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


33 


blood!7  The  order  was  so  unexpected,  so  contrary,  as  he 
thought,  to  every  principle  of  duty,  honor,  and  manliness,  that, 
impelled  by  an  irresistible  impulse  of  indignation,  he  forgot  for 
a  moment  the  respect  due  to  discipline,  and  threw  the  match- 
stick  at  the  head  of  his  commanding  officer  —  the  latter  manag- 
ed to  avoid  the  blow  by  a  rapid  movement  within  the  door  of 
the  round-house,  or  poop-quarter-deck,  into  the  frame  of  which 
the  iron  point  of  the  match-stick  entered  and  stuck  fast !  The 
incident  was  w'tnessed  by  all  on  board,  and  officers  and  men 
were  alike  ready  to  exclaim  that  their  cowardly  captain  had  been 
'  served  right.'  The  tender  of  course  sheered  off  the  moment 
she  discovered  her  mistake  as  to  the  character  of  the  sloop,  and 
thus  escaped  the  fate  that  must  have  awaited  her  if  battle  had 
been  made. 

After  this  affair,  the  captain  remained  housed  within  his  cabin, 
and  no  longer  even  assumed  the  appearance  of  command,  which 
devolved  upon  Barney.  It  was  some  consolation  to  him  and 
the  other  Americans  on  board  to  reflect,  that  this  '  most  devout 
coward'  —  for  he  affected  to  be  under  the  influence  of  religious 
scruples,  and  spent  his  time  in  singing  psalms  and  praying  aloud 
—  was  not  their  countryman,  but  a  native  of  Bermuda. 

The  sloop  entered  the  Delaware  Bay  by  the  Cape  May  chan- 
nel :  a  thick,  impenetrable  fog  came  on,  and  the  pilot  who  had 
charge  of  her  ran  her  ashore  on  Egg  Island  flats.  By  this  dis- 
aster, her  rudder  was  knocked  off,  and  she  lay  for  several  days 
unmanageable  —  the  weather  continued  to  be  very  cold,  though 
the  month  of  April  was  now  considerably  advanced,  the  greater 
part  of  the  crew,  and  all  the  officers  except  Barney,  (and  the 
captain,  who  never  ventured  to  show  himself  upon  deck,)  were 
sick,  and  suffering  extremely  from  privations  of  every  kind. 
A  double  share  of  labor  of  course  fell  upon  our  high-spirited 
and  active  friend,  but  he  was  able  to  sustain  it  all,  and  at  length 
brought  the  Hornet  safely  into  Philadelphia.  Her  captain 
abandoned  her  immediately,  and  never  afterwards  ventured  on 
board  an  armed  vessel. 

That  this  long,  fatiguing,  and  in  every  respect  disagreeable 
cruise  should  have  thus  terminated,  without  a  single  opportunity 
of  measuring  strength  with  the  foe,  it  may  be  readily  believed, 
was  a  source  of  deep  mortification  and  disappointment  to  the 
high  raised  hopes  and  expectations  of  young  Barney.  He  had 
been  five  months  at  sea,  in  a  cold  and  stormy  winter,  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  beating  about  our  inclement  coast,  and  under 
the  command  of  an  officer  whose  seamanship  was  inferior  to 
his  own,  and  whom  he  more  than   suspected  of  hypocrisy  and 


34 


MEMOIR  OP 


cowardice.  Such  a  situation  had  everything  in  it  to  worry  and 
annoy  a  gallant  spirit ;  and  the  sternest  disciplinarian  might  find 
some  excuse  for  the  impatient,  and  almost  involuntary,  breach 
of  the  rules  of  subordination,  which  Barney  committed,  on  the 
occasion  we  have  mentioned.  No  one  could  be  more  sen- 
sible than  himself,  even  at  this  early  period  of  his  life,  of  the 
necessity  of  subjection  to  authority  on  board  a  ship,  and  no 
commander  ever  more  rigidly  exacted  it  from  others,  when  after- 
wards advanced  to  that  rank.  But  it  may  be  regarded  as  some 
palliation,  if  not  a  justification  of  his  conduct  towards  his  des- 
picable commander,  that  he  was  a  volunteer  on  board  —  that 
he  had  offered  his  services  to  this  man,  rather  than  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  schooner  Wasp,  because  he  had  been  led  to  be- 
lieve, by  those  who  pretended  to  know  them  both,  that  he  was 
the  braver  man  of  the  two,  and  the  most  experienced  seaman 
—  and  that,  in  truth,  he  had  himself  been  de  facto  the  comman- 
der, from  the  moment  that  the  pressure  of  dangers  and  difficul- 
ties called  forthe  exertion  of  more  than  ordinary  skill  and  energy 
in  the  management  of  the  vessel.  He  had  not  waited  the  slow 
process  of  an  application  to  Congress  for  a  commission  —  in- 
deed he  was  totally  unacquainted  with  the  mode  of  application, 
and  perhaps  felt  conscious  that  his  extreme  youth  would  be  an 
insuperable  bar  to  his  obtaining  such  rank,  by  commission,  as 
he  would  have  been  willing  to  accept.  And,  moreover,  he  was 
under  the  impression  that  as  a  volunteer,  he  would  be  more 
independent,  and  more  at  liberty  to  seek  occasions  of  making 
himself  known  by  his  actions.  These  considerations  had  induc- 
ed him  to  offer  his  services  to  the  commander  of  the  Hornet ; 
who  does  not  appear  to  have  been  himself  regularly  commis- 
sioned —  at  least,  his  name  is  not  among  the  appointments  made 
by  Congress  in  1775,  when  the  other  officers  of  Commodore 
Hopkins's  fleet  were  appointed  — and  how  far  the  incidents  of 
his  five  months'  services  corresponded  with  his  calculations,  or 
rather  how  completely  they  levelled  with  the  dust  all  his  air-built 
castles,  we  have  seen.  To  add  to  his  mortification,  upon  his 
arrival  at  Philadelphia,  he  heard  that  the  fleet,  after  his  separa- 
tion from  them,  fell  in  with  the  enemy  and  had  a  smart  action  ; 
but  he  did  not  hear  at  the  same  time,  what  would  probably  have 
consoled  him  for  having  no  share  in  it,  that  Congress  and  the 
people  had  been  loud  in  their  censures  upon  the  conduct  of  those 
officers  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  affair.  —  These  censures, 
however,  it  becomes  us  to  add,  were  entirely  unjust,  as  after- 
wards appeared  from  the  results  of  two  court  martials  held  on 
board  the  Commodore's  ship,  and  the  officers  implicated  had  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


35 


satisfaction  of  receiving  full  amends  in  a  subsequent  compliment 
from  the  marine  committee. 

The  unceremonious  manner  in  which  the  captain  of  the  Hor- 
net'left  her  the  moment  she  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  made  it 
incumbent  upon  Barney,  very  much  against  his  will,  to  continue 
in  charge  of  her  until  he  could  be  regularly  relieved,  which  did 
not  take  place  for  more  than  three  weeks.  She  had  been  so 
much  injured  by  the  several  accidenis  that  had  occurred  to  her, 
that  it  was  found  she  could  not  be  sent  again  to  sea  before  she 
was  thoroughly  repaired  ;  and  as  he  considered  every  moment 
that  he  remained  inactive  as  throwing  away  a  chance  of  doing 
something  useful  to  his  country  and  honorable  to  himself,  he 
delivered  her  over  to  the  officer  sent  to  superintend  her  repairs, 
and  being  again  a  free  man  began  immediately  to  cast  about  in 
his  own  mind,  where  he  should  next  offer  his  services.  Of  the 
little  fleet,  or,  as  it  was  in  truth,  the  whole  navy  of  the  confed- 
erated States  at  that  time,  two  (the  Cabot  and  the  Andrea  Doria) 
were  considerably  more  damaged  than  the  sloop,  and  were  also 
undergoing  repairs  —  two  others  were  in  Rhode  Island,  and  one 
at  New  York,  so  that  there  remained  but  one  to  which  he  could 
conveniently  present  himself,  with  any  chance  of  immediate  ser- 
vice:—  this  one  was  the  little  schooner  Wasp,  the  companion 
of  the  Hornet  from  Baltimore  to  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware, 
five  months  before,  and  the  vessel  which  he  had  been  persuaded 
to  overlook,  when  he  made  his  first  selection. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Historical  Digression.  —  State  of  Affairs  in  the  beginning  of  1776.  —  Barney^ 
reasons  for  preferring  to  serve  as  a  Volunteer. —  He  enters  onboard  the 
Schooner  Wasp,  Captain  Alexander. —  Encounter  with  the  Enemy. — The 
Wasp  is  driven  into  Wilmington  Creek. —  Gallant  Achievement  of  her  Com- 
mander, assisted  by  Barney,  while  there.  — Action  of  two  days  between  the 
Philadelphia  Row-Galleys,  and  the  I'.ritish  Frigates  Roebuck  and  Liverpool. 
—  Barney  volunteers  to  bring  a  disabled  Galley  into  action.  —  The  Knemy 
are  driven  below  Newcastle.  —  Return  to  Philadelphia.  —  Promotion  of 
Captain  Alexander.  —  Harney  is  ordered  to  the  Sloop  Sachem  — has  an  in- 
terview with  the  President  of  the  Marine  Committee  — Receives  a  Letter  of 
appointment  as  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy. 

Tt  was  our  earnest  purpose,  when  we  entered  upon  the  task 
of  writing"  these  Memoirs,  to  avoid  any  interference  with  the 
province  of  the  historian  —  first,  because  it  might  lead  to  too 
great  an  extension  of  our  plan  ;  and  secondly,  because  we 
believed  that  the  memory  of  every  reader  would  supply  all  that 
was  necessary  for  proper  connexion  and  elucidation.  But  as 
we  pursue  our  subject  through  various  scenes  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  we  find  it  not  always  possible  to  adhere  to  our 
purpose,  without  running  the  risk  of  becoming  obscure,  or 
burthening  the  reader  with  too  many  references  to  historical 
writers.  We  confess  it  would  have  been  exceedingly  agreeable 
to  us  to  have  found  no  occasion  to  step  aside  from  the  strictly 
biographical  path  we  had  marked  out  for  ourselves,  as  well 
because  we  consider  one  subject  at  a  time  as  quite  enough  for 
one  writer,  as  because  we  are  not  at  all  fond  of  supererogatory 
labor.  But  the  life  of  every  public  man  is  so  essentially  inter- 
woven with  his  country's  history,  that  many  of  the  motives  and 
principles  of  the  former  would  be  wholly  unintelligible  with- 
out illustration  from  some  coetaneous  incidents  of  the  latter. 
The  reader  therefore  must  make  up  his  mind  to  an  occasional 
digression,  which,  we  promise  him,  shall  be  brief,  if  not  interest- 
ing. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  year  1776,  and  even  to  the 
moment  when  the  leading  spirits  of  the  Revolution  pronounced 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  3t 

the  irrevocable  fiat  of  independence,  a  lingering  hope  of  an 
amicable  adjustment  of  the  quarrel  with  the  mother-country 
was  still  fondly  cherished  in  many  of  the  colonies,  and  a  great 
number  of  the  representatives  of  the  people  were  positively 
instructed  by  their  constituents  to  vote  against  all  propositions 
for  a  political  separation.  It  was  believed  that  the  spirit  of 
resistance  to  tyranny  which  had  already  been  shown,  would 
have  the  effect  of  inducing  parliament  to  repeal  their  offensive 
measures,  and  endeavor  to  recover  the  allegiance  of  the 
colonies,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  an  obstinate  ministry ;  and 
many  individuals,  both  in  and  out  of  Congress,  whose  patriotism 
or  whose  wisdom  could  not  be  doubted,  were  of  opinion  that 
the  advantages  of  a  continued  connexion  with  England,  under 
a  meliorated  system  of  colonial  government,  would  be  alto- 
gether on  the  side  of  the  colonies.  They  had  not  yet  heard 
of  Lord  North's  extended  plan  of  coercion;  they  were  not 
aware  of  the  immense  armament  of  land  and  naval  forces, 
destined  to  ravage  our  long  line  of  defenceless  coast,  and  to 
plunder,  harass,  and  desolate  our  unoffending  hamlets  and  har- 
bors ;  and  they  miscalculated  the  feelings  of  their  fellow-subjects 
of  Great  Biitain,who,  instead  of  sympathizing  in  the  distresses, 
and  commending  the  manly  spirit  of  their  cis-atlantic  brethren, 
went  beyond  the  ministers  themselves  in  their  denunciations, 
and  suggestions  of  plans  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  or  extermin-- 
ate  the  rebels.  The  measures  of  Congress  during  all  this 
period  were,  of  course,  of  a  temporizing  nature  ;  their  pre- 
parations for  lengthened  hostilities  were  chiefly  confined  to  a 
system  of  defence,  and  even  in  the  completion  of  this,  their 
operations  were  tardy  and  defective.  The  minds  of  the  mem- 
bers seem  to  have  been  so  entirely  engaged  upon  the  contem- 
plated Declaration  of  Independence,  that  they  lost  sight  of  the 
most  obvious  means  of  giving  it  effect  and  force  when  it  should 
be  promulgated.  It  is  true  they  had  organized  a  military  force 
for  the  land  service,  but  in  all  that  was  required  to  render  it 
efficient,  they  were  entirely  neglectful;  and  if  the  commander- 
in-chief  had  not  turned  out  to  be  —  what  at  the  time  of  his 
selection,  they  certainly  had  no  reasonable  grounds  to  believe 
he  was  —  one  of  the  ablest  generals  the  world  ever  produced, 
there  would  have  been  literally  no  army  at  the  moment  when 
its  force  ought  to  have  been  most  imposing.  They  were  still 
more  tardy  in  preparing  to  meet  the  enemy  on  the  water. 
British  cruisers  committed  the  most  insulting  outrages  in  the 
very  sight  of  our  large  cities,  and  our  coasting  trade  was  cut  up 
by  vessels  of  inferior  size  and  force,  that  occupied  the  bays  and 
4 


MEMOIR  OP 


inlets,  and  for  a  long  time  held  the  mastery  undisputed.  Con- 
gress had  appointed  a  few  naval  officers  in  December,  1775, 
and  had  ordered  a  few  ships  to  be  built;  but  the  delay  in  com- 
pleting the  latter  was  so  great,  that  it  was  found  impossible  to 
man  them  when  they  were  ready  :  for  the  seamen,  immense 
numbers  of  whom  had  been  thrown  out  of  employment  by  the 
interruption  to  commerce,  rather  than  remain  idle,  had  nearly 
all  enlisted  in  the  land  service.  The  little  fleet  of  Commodore 
Hopkins,  after  its  exploit  at  New  Providence,  and  the  capture 
of  one  or  two  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  became  so  separated 
and  disabled,  that  it  could  undertake  no  subsequent  enterprise; 
and  when  Congress  at  last  began  to  think  it  necessary  to  direct 
the  attention  of  their  Marine  Committee  to  the  equipment  of  a 
proper  naval  force,  they  scarcely  knew  where  to  look  for  the 
nucleus  upon  which  to  commence  their  operations. 

We  have  said  that  Barney  had,  in  the  first  instance,  preferred 
offering  his  services  as  a  volunteer  to  making  application  for  a 
regular  commission.  He  had  still  stronger  reasons  now  for  this 
preference  than  at  first.  In  Baltimore  he  might,  perhaps,  have 
obtained  the  recommendation  and  influence  of  his  old  mer- 
chant, Mr  Smith  ;  but  he  had  an  unconquerable  aversion  to 
asking  the  recommendation  of  any  body,  and  heleftJYlr  Smith's 
friendly  promises  unclaimed.  In  Philadelphia,  where  he  now 
was,  he  knew  nobody,  or,  what  was  more  to  the  purpose,  no- 
body knew  him ;  unknown,  unrecommended,  and  not  yet 
seventeen  years  old,  it  is  not  probable  that  an  application  from 
him  for  a  lieutenant's  commission  would  have  been  successful, 
if  he  had  been  disposed  to  make  it,  and  he  would  not  have 
accepted  a  lower  rank,  had  it  been  offered  to  him.  There  was 
another  objection,  too,  against  his  presenting  himself  to  the 
Marine  Committee  —  he  did  not  know  what  report  might  have 
been  made  of  him  by  his  late  captain,  or  what  the  extent  of 
the  latter's  interest  might  be,  if  he  should  find  the  courage  to 
exert  it  against  him :  he  had  waited  several  weeks  in  momenta- 
ry expectation  of  being  called  to  a  court  martial  for  the  disre- 
spect he  had  shown  to  his  commanding  officer ;  hitherto  not  a 
word  had  transpired  in  relation  to  it;  but  he  was  well  aware, 
that  his  conduct  had  rendered  him  liable  to  trial  and  punish- 
ment, and  that  however  palliative  the  circumstances  might  ap- 
pear in  the  estimation  of  every  private  individual  of  honorable 
feelings,  officers,  who  were  bound  by  particular  laws,  and  the 
still  higher  authorities  from  whom  those  laws  emanated,  would 
perhaps  regard  them  in  a  very  different  light.  At  all  events, 
if  he  had  no  inclination,  under  much  more  favorable  auspices, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  39 

to  ask  for  a  commission,  there  was  nothing  in  his  present  situa- 
tion that  could  induce  him  to  change  his  mind,  and  the  moment, 
therefore,  that  he  was  relieved  from  the  charge  of  the  sloop, 
he  went  on  board  the  schooner  Wasp,  and  offered  his  services 
to  Captain  Charles  Alexander,  a  Scotchman,  and  as  gallant 
an  officer  as  ever  stepped  a  deck  —  so  much  had  his  character 
been  misunderstood,  or  misrepresented,  by  those  from  whom 
Barney  had  received  his  first  information. 

Volunteers,  at  this  period,  either  in  the  army  or  navy,  were 
certain  of  being  entertained  with  honorable  welcome  ;  such  a 
station,  therefore,  on  board  the  Wasp,  as  Barney  was  willing  to 
accept,  was  readily  assigned  to  him,  and  he  was  soon  again  in 
full  employment.  The  Wasp  had  been  ordered  to  convoy, 
clear  of  the  coast,  a  vessel  of  some  value  bound  to  Europe. 
She  accomplished  this  duty  without  interruption  ;  but  on  her 
return  to  the  Delaware,  it  was  discovered  that  two  British  frigates 
had  entered  it  during  her  absence,  and  were  then  lying  in  the 
roads  —  these  were  the  Roebuck,  of  44  guns,  and  the  Liverpool, 
of  28  guns.  The  latter  vessel  hoisted  her  anchor,  as  soon  as  the 
Wasp  appeared  in  sight,  and  made  sail  after  her,  but  fortunately 
having  no  pilot  on  board,  and  bein?,  as  it  appeared,  unac- 
quainted with  the  channel,  she  ran  upon  some  of  the  shoals, 
where  she  remained  immovable  until  the  change  of  tide,  and 
thus  the  little  schooner  was  enabled  to  make  her  escape.  She 
ran  into  the  Cape  May  channel,  where  she  found  two  other 
American  vessels  lying  snugly  at  anchor,  the  brig  Lexington, 
Captain  Barry,  and  the  ship  Surprise,  Captain  Weeks,  ignorant 
of  the  so  near  vicinity  of  the  enemy. 

In  a  few  hours  after  the  Wasp  had  joined  these  vessels,  a 
vessel  was  discovered  standing  for  the  Cape  with  all  sail  crowded, 
and  the  Liverpool,  which  had  by  this  time  cleared  the  shoals, 
closely  pursuing  her.  She  was  soon  known  to  be  a  vessel 
anxiously  expected  in  the  Delaware,  laden  with  small  arms  and 
ammunition,  and  preparations  were  made  by  the  three  vessels 
to  afford  her  all  the  assistance  in  their  power.  But  they  had 
scarcely  concerted  the  means  of  rendering  their  cooperation 
efficient  when  the  Roebuck  also  appeared  in  full  chase.  The 
junction  of  these  two  frigates  of  course  destroyed  all  hope  of 
saving  the  vessel,  and  she  must  soon  have  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  had  she  not  chosen  what  was  deemed  the  lesser 
evil  of  running  ashore  to  avoid  them.  This  was  effected  a 
few  miles  to  the  northward  of  the  Cape;  and  the  Americans, 
immediately  upon  perceiving  it,  despatched  all  their  boats  and 
men  to  assist  in  taking  out  the  cargo,  which  they  in  great  part 


40 


MEMOIR  OF 


accomplished  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  frigates,  which  still 
continued  to  approach,  evidently  with  the  design  of  sending 
their  boats  to  take  possession  of  her.  Lieutenant  Weeks,  of 
the  Surprise,  was  killed,  and  several  of  the  men  in  the  boats 
wrere  wounded,  by  one  of  the  enemy's  balls  but  the  Americans 
persevered  until  they  saw  the  boats  of  the  enemy  lowered  and 
manned  with  double  their  number,  when  Captain  Barry,  who 
commanded  this  little  expedition,  ordered  a  quantity  of  the 
powder  to  be  thrown  loose  into  the  hold,  with  a  billet  of  burning 
wood  wrapped  in  the  mainsail  over  the  hatchway,  and  then 
directed  a  retreat  to  their  several  vessels.  The  design  of  Cap- 
tain Barry  had  been  merely  to  destroy  the  vessel  and  the 
remainder  of  her  cargo,  to  prevent  either  from  being  converted 
to  the  use  of  the  enemy  ;  and  this  could  not  be  done  with  any 
safety  to  his  own  boats,  without  so  disposing  of  the  fire  as  to 
leave  them  time  to  get  beyond  the  effect  of  the  explosion :.  but 
it  proved,  in  the  end,,  a  terrible  retribution  upon  the  enemy  for 
some  of  their  many  acts  of  wanton  inhumanity ;  a  few  minutes 
after  the  men  from  their  boats  had  boarded  the  stranded  barque, 
the  latent  fire  communicated  with  the  loose  powder,  and  a 
tremendous  explosion  followed,  from  which  not  one  of  the 
boarders  escaped  —  the  destruction  was  complete,  and  the  loss 
to  the  enemy,  in  men  and  officers,  must  have  been  immense, 
judging  from  the  number  of  dead  bodies,  mangled  limbs,  gold- 
laced  hats,  and  other  parts  of  an  officer's  equipment,  which  con- 
tinued to  be  thrown  up  on  the  shore  for  many  days  afterwards; 
for  its  extent  wras  never  otherwise  ascertained. 

Barney  was  in  one  of  the  boats  engaged  in  this  little  affair; 
and  though  none  of  the  party  had  much  opportunity  of  gaining 
distinction,  his  great  activity  and  quick  perception  of  every- 
thing that  the  case  required,  attracted  the  attention,  and  dwelt 
upon  the  memory,,  of  Captain  Alexander,  from  whom  he  after- 
wards received  the  highest  marks  of  confidence  and  respect. 

After  the  boats  had  rejoined  their  respective  vessels,  the 
Wasp  again  weighed  anchor  and  pursued  her  course  up  the 
Bay.  This  movement  was  perceived  by  the  Roebuck  and  Liver- 
pool, who  had  been  joined  by  an  armed  brig,  serving  as  their 
tender,  and  the  whole  triad  immediately  pursued,  with  all  sail 
set,  determining  no  doubt  to  wreak  upon  the  feeble  Wasp  the 
vengeance  they  owed  for  their  late  discomfiture  and  loss.  Cap- 
tain Alexander,  finding  that  they  gained  upon  him  rapidly,  and 
that  he  must  inevitably  fall  a  prey  if  he  trusted  to  the  speed  of 
his  vessel,  suddenly  hauled  his  course  to  the  wind  and  ran  into 
Wilmington  Creek,  where  he  w7as  safe  from  the  pursuit  of  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  41 

frigates,  and  ready  for  the  brig  if  she  should  dare  the  contest 
alone.  By  the  time  he  dropped  anchor,  night  had  come  on  and 
he  was  unable  to  discover  how  his  pursuers  had  disposed  of 
themselves ;  but  the  next  morning  he  found  that  both  the  frigates 
had  come  to  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  where  of  course 
so  long  as  they  remained,  he  was  effectually  shut  up  unless  he 
could  achieve  his  deliverance  by  some  daring  stratagem,  or 
some  open  enterprise  of  still  greater  hazard. 

It  happened  in  the  course  of  the  previous  day,  while  he  was 
pursued  by  the  enemy,  that  Captain  Alexander  had  fallen  in 
with  several  merchant  vessels  from  Philadelphia,  outward  bound, 
in  total  ignorance  of  the  jeopardy  into  which  they  were  running 
—  all  of  which  he  spoke  and  ordered  back  to  Philadelphia,  and 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  had  thus  saved  a 
very  large  amount  of  property.  But  this  was  not  ail  —  the  re- 
turning vessels  carried  the  information  to  the  city,  that  the  ene- 
my's ships  were  approaching,  and  a  number  of  row-galleys  were 
immediately  prepared  under  the  commandof  Commodore  Hazle- 
wood,  to  meet  them.  By  uncommon  exertion  and  activity, 
these  galleys  made  their  appearance  before  the  enemy  at  an 
early  hour  in  the  morning  ;  a  brisk  cannonading  instantly  com- 
menced between  them  :  the  frigates  found  themselves  under 
the  necessity  of  weighing  anchor,  and  the  gallant  commander  of 
the  Wasp  thought  this  a  favorable  moment  for  attempting  some- 
thing that  might  assist  in  annoying  the  foe.  His  anchor  was  up 
in  a  moment ;  the  oars  were  ordered  to  be  manned,  and  the 
schooner  was  rowed  out  of  the  creek.  The  enemy's  brig, 
tender,  already  mentioned,  was  lying  close  under  cover  of  the 
guns  of  the  two  frigates,  but  as  the  attention  of  the  latter  seem- 
ed to  be  fully  occupied  with  the  galleys,  Captain  Alexander 
thought  himselfjustified  in  making  the  attempt  to  board  her. 
No  enterprise  could  be  more  daring;  but  he  was  well  seconded 
by  his  young  volunteer,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  her  off. 
Most  luckily  for  him,  at  the  moment  the  enemy  perceived  this 
bold  and  unexpected  manoeuvre  and  made  a  movement  to  coun- 
teract it,  the  Roebuck  grounded  on  the  Jersey  shore,  and  the 
Liverpool  was  thus  compelled  to  come  to  anchor  near  her,  that 
she  might  protect  her  from  a  similar  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
galleys.  By  this  opportune  disaster  of  the  enemy,  Captain  Al- 
exander got  safe  off  with  his  prize,  sent  her  into  a  port  a  few 
miles  below  on  the  Jersey  side,  and  reenterd  Wilmington  Creek 
in  triumph  a  little  before  night-fall :  the  cannonading  soon  after- 
ward ceased,  and  a  perfect  stillness  prevailed  throughout  the 
night,  to  the  great  surprise  of  those  on  board  the  Wasp,  who 
4* 


42  MEMOIR  OF 

confidently  anticipated  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  during 
the  darkness,  either  to  board  or  to  set  fire  to  the  Roebuck,  while 
she  remained  aground. 

On  the  succeeding  morning,  the  atmosphere  was  so  thick  and 
hazy,  that  Captain  Alexander,  under  the  impression  that  the 
Roebuck  was  still  aground,  thought  he  might  be  able  to  pass, 
under  cover  of  the  fog,  without  being  discovered,  and  with  that 
purpose  got  under  way  at  an  early  hour  :  he  cleared  the  mouth 
of  the  creek,  but  at  the  moment  he  fancied  himself  free,  the 
sun  suddenly  burst  forth,  the  fog  was  dispersed,  and  he  found 
himself  almost  aboard  of  the  enemy's  ship,  which  was  no  longer 
aground,  but  lying  snugly  at  anchor,  watching  his  motions.  A 
light  breeze  accompanied  the  appearance  of  the  sun,  which  en- 
abled him,  before  the  Roebuck  could  weigh  her  anchor,  to 
shoot  a  little  ahead  and  gain  the  advantage  of  the  wind.  The 
ship,  again  disappointed  of  her  prey,  opened  her  whole  broad- 
side upon  the  active  little  Wasp,  which  had  no  other  effect  than 
to  retard  her  own  motion,  and  hide  the  object  of  her  pursuit 
from  view  in  the  cloud  of  smoke  from  her  battery.  She  con- 
tinued the  chase,  keeping  up  a  constant  fire  with  her  bow  guns, 
for  nearly  an  hour,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  within  the  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile  ;  but  her  shot  did  little  or  no  mischief;  and 
by  the  help  of  oars,  sails  and  tow-boats,  which  were  all  at  work, 
the  schooner  at  length  gained  sight  of  the  galleys,  which,  for 
some  reason  or  other,  probably  convincing  to  the  judgment  of 
the  commander,  had  changed  their  position  during  the  night, 
and  were  now  returning  to  begin  the  attack  anew. 

Captain  Alexander,  having  reached  the  cover  of  the  galleys, 
k\id  his  top-sail  aback,  and  waited  to  see  whether  he  might  be 
able  to  afford  any  assistance.  This  armament  had  been  fitted 
out  by  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  under  the  direction  of  their 
Committee  of  Safety,  and  the  commander,  of  course  acted 
under  the  orders  of  the  latter,  and  was  entirely  independent  of  the 
navy  and  its  regulations.  The  small  calibre  of  the  Wasp's  six 
guns  rendered  them  entirely  useless  at  the  distance  at  which  the 
galleys  might  open  their  batteries  with  effect,  and  the  construction 
of  the  vessel,  even  had  her  metal  been  larger,  would  have 
prevented  her  from  being  able  to  take  a  position  in  line;  but  an 
occasion  might  occur  in  which  she  could  become  useful,  and 
her  captain  at  all  events  felt  it  his  duty  to  remain  near  the  gal- 
leys, however  unpleasant  it  might  be  to  a  gallant  spirit,  to  be  a 
mere  spectator  in  such  a  scene.  The  presence  of  the  Wasp 
turned  out,  in  the  end,  to  be  a  most  fortunate  circumstance. 
In  the  course  of  this  second  day's  engagement  between  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  43 

galleys  and  the  king's  ship,  which  was  kept  up  with  considerable 
spirit  until  near  night,  one  of  the  former  sustained  so  great  a 
loss  in  men,  that  there  were  not  enough  left  on  board  to  man- 
age the  oars,  and  she  was  compelled  to  give  over  the  combat 
and  drop  astern.  Barney  who  had  been  watching  the  action 
with  intense  interest,  instantly  perceived  her  situation,  and  ap- 
plied to  his  captain  for  permission  to  volunteer  his  services,  with 
a  sufficient  number  of  the  schooner's  men,  to  re-man  the  galley 
and  bring  her  again  into  action  :  the  permission  was  readily 
given ;  he  boarded  the  crippled  galley  with  men  as  willing  as 
himself,  brought  her  once  more  gallantly  to  maintain  her  share 
of  the  fight,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  frigates 
retire  from  the  combat.  They  were  visibly  much  cut  up  :  they 
had  no  sea  room  for  manoeuvres,  and  were  evidently  glad  to 
escape :  the  galleys  followed  them  as  far  as  Newcastle,  giving 
them  an  occasional  long  shot,  and  then  seeing  no  chance  of 
again  coming  up  with  them,  they  returned.  Barney  and  his 
men  remained  with  the  galley  until  they  delivered  her  safe  in 
Philadelphia. 

It  was  certainly  something  for  these  galleys-  to  boast  of,  that 
they  had  succeeded  in  driving  two  of  the  enemy's  frigates  from 
an  important  position,  which  they  could  not  long  have  occupied 
without  creating  serious  distress  throughout  one  of  the  most 
populous  districts  on  the  Delaware  ;  but  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia were  far  from  being  disposed  to  greet  their  returning 
Commodore  with  the  expected  ovation  —  many  of  them  were 
loud  in  their  censures,  when  they  heard  of  the  accident  which 
had  befallen  the  Roebuck,  and  which  placed  her  as  they 
thought,  so  much  within  the  power  of  the  galleys  ;  in  their  chagrin 
that  such  an  opportunity  for  a  brilliant  exploit  had  been  lost, 
they  unjustly  detracted  from  the  men.  of  what  had  actually  been 
done,  and  refused  all  credit  to  the  conduct  of  the  Commodore. 
This  officer  and  his  friends,  on  the  contrary,  declared  that  if  any 
fault  had  been  committed,  the  blame  ought  to  fall  upon  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  whose  precise  and  explicit  orders  had  been 
faithfully  executed.  —  It  is  very  difficult  to  determine  whether 
any  attempt  upon  the  Roebuck,  protected  as  she  was  by  the 
Liverpool,  would  have  been  successful ;  it  would  certainly  have 
been  attended  with  imminent  hazard,  and  might  have  resulted 
in  the  total  destruction  of  the  assailants — but  it  cannot  be  de- 
nied, that  the  occasion  was  one  which  offered  every  inducement 
for  an  enterprise  of  gallantry,  and  that  an  officer  ambitious  of 
distinction,  and  unfettered  by  contrary  orders,  would  have  seized 
it  with  avidity. 


44  MEMOIR  OP  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

The  reception  of  Captain  Alexander  and  his  officers  was  far 
more  gratifying — the  successful  feat  of  the  little  Wasp  was  in 
everybody's  mouth,  and  all  the  honors  acquired  in  the  two 
days'  tilting  with  the  enemy,  were  decreed  to  them.  A  few 
days  after  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  Captain  Alexander  re- 
ceived from  the  Congress  a  commission  as  Captain  in  the  Navy, 
and  was  transferred  to  the  command  of  one  of  the  new  ships, 
the  Delaware,  of  28  guns.  He  did  not  forget,  in  his  report 
to  the  Marine  Committee,  to  speak  of  his  young  volunteer,  Bar- 
ney, in  the  warmest  terms  of  eulogy,  and  the  latter  was,  in  con- 
sequence ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  Sloop  Sachem,  and 
superintend  her  equipment  ior  a  cruise.  He  was,  for  a  little 
time,  elated  beyond  measure,  at  the  idea  that  he  was  to  com- 
mand the  Sachem  on  her  destined  criuse,  and  entered  upon  his 
labors  with  an  alacrity  that  intermitted  neither  night  nor  day ; 
he  forgot  that  he  was  an  unknown  boy,  not  quite  seventeen,  and 
that  the  sober  patriots,  from  whom  alone  such  an  honor  could 
come,  had  heard  of  him  only  as  a  '  promising  youth  who  might 
in  time  deserve  a  lieutenant's  commission  !'  —  But  his  delusion 
did  not  last  very  long.  When  he  had  got  the  sloop  nearly 
ready  for  sea,  he  received  an  order,  couched  in  the  polite  terms 
of  an  invitation,  to  wait  upon  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris, 
President  of  the  Marine  Committee  :  he  obeyed  it  upon  the 
instant,  and  being  ushered  into  the  presence  of  this  excellent 
patriot  and  meritorious  citizen,  he  was  asked  if  his  name  was 
Barney  ?  —  He  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  Mr  Morris, 
taking  from  his  pocket  a  paper,  presented  it  to  him,  with  these 
words  :  —  'The  Committee  have  heard  of  your  good  beha- 
viour, Mr  Barney,  during  the  engagement  with  the  enemy  in  the 
Delaware,  and  have  authorized  me  to  offer  you  this  letter  of 
Appointment  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy  of  the  United 
States.  I  will  add,  for  myself,  that  if  you  continue  to  act  with 
the  same  bravery  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  our  country  on 
future  occasions,  you  shall  always  find  in  me  a  friend  ready  and 
happy  to  serve  you  !'  — The  kind  and  paternal  tone  in  which 
Mr  Morris  uttered  this  brief  address,  deeply  affected  his  young 
protege,  who  felt  much  more  grateful  for  the  personal  interest 
of  such  a  man,  than  for  the  unsolicited  honor  conveyed  in  the 
paper  :  he  was  far  from  being  insensible,  however,  to  the  latter, 
short  as  it  fell  of  his  recent  ambitious  reveries ;  he  accepted  it 
as  an  earnest  of  future  advancement,  and  made  still  further  pro- 
gress in  the  good  opinion  of  Mr  Morris,  by  the  manly  self-pos- 
session which  marked  his  manner  of  receiving  it.  We  may  add 
here,  that  Mr  Morris,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  never  withdrew 
the  friendship  offered  on  this  occasion. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Captain  Isaiah  Robinson  takes  command  of  the  Sachem.  —  They  sail  on  s 
Cruise  —  engage  and  capture  a  British  Letter  of  Marque  of  superior  force  ► 
altera  desperate  action  of  two  hours  —  return  to  Philadelphia  with  their 
prize.  —  Lord  North  loses  a  fine  Turtle  1  —  Captain  R.  and  Lieut.  Barney  are 
transferred  to  the  Andrea  Dona.  —  They  proceed  to  St  Lustatia  —  their  Sa- 
lute of  the  Fort  is  returned  by  the  Dutch  Governor. —  Severe  Action  with  the 
British  sloop  Race-horse — 'tables  turned' upon  Admi  al  Par  r.  —  Cap- 
ture of  a  British  snow.  —  Lieut.  Barney  put  on  board  as  Prize-Master. — 
Tempest  on  the  coast  —  perilous  situation  of  the  snow  on  the  Chincoteagua 
Shoals.  —  Instance  of  Lieut.  B  's  firmness  and  intrepidity.  —  The  weather 
moderates  —  he  sails  for  the  Chesapeake  —  is  driven  off  the  Capes  by  a  Snow- 
storm —  chased  by  a  British  Ship  —  part  of  his  crew  mutiny  —  his  conduct 
on  the  occasion  —  captured  by  the  Perseus  and  carried  to  Charleston —  Ren- 
counter on  board  between  the  Purser  of  the  Perseus  and  Barney.  —  Hon- 
orable Conduct  of  Capt.  Elphin.-tone  —  Barney  is  released  on  Parole  —  tra- 
vels on  horseback  — his  revenge  upon  the  Tories  —  arrival  at  Philadelphia 
—  is  discharged  from  his  parole  —  and  returns  to  the  Andrea  Doria. 

The  events  which  we  have  related  at  the  close  of  the  last 
chapter,  occurred  about  the  20th  of  June,  1 776.  By  the  first  of 
the  succeeding  month,  Captain  Isaiah  Robinson  arrived,  to  take 
command  of  the  sloop  Sachem,  and  as  her  equipment  had,  in 
the  meantime,  been  fully  completed,  on  the  6th  day  of  July  — 
the  17th  anniversary  of  Lieutenant  Barney's  birth-day  —  they 
sailed  from  Philadelphia  on  a  cruise.  The  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, which  had  been  passed  by  a  vote  of  Congress  but 
two  days  before,  produced  so  little  of  that  noise  and  tumult  of 
rejoicing  which  its  celebration  since  has  annually  excited,  that 
but  for  the  official  communication  of  the  fact  to  Captain  Robin- 
son, the  officers  of  the  sloop  could  hardly  have  known  from  any 
demonstrations  around  them,  that  an  event  of  such  awful  im- 
portance had  taken  place.  No  change  occurred  in  their  orders, 
and  they  left  the  harbor  without  the  slightest  consciousness  that 
they,  or  their  country,  were  more  independent  then,  than  they 
had  been  since  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  They  passed 
down  the  Bay,  and  got  out  to  sea,  without  seeing  anything  of 
the  British  frigates  ;  but  they  had  not  been  many  days  at  sea, 
before  they  fell  in  with  a;  letter  of  marque  brig,  under   Eng- 


46 


MEMOIR  OF 


lish  colors,  which  seemed  to  be  heavily  armed,  and  well  dis- 
posed to  dispute  the  right  of  question.  An  action  commenced 
between  them,  which  was  severely  contested  for  the  space  of 
two  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  brig  hauled  down  her 
colors  and  demanded  quarter.  The  weight  of  metal  on  board 
the  letter  of  marque  was  much  superior  to  that  of  the  Sachem, 
and  if  she  had  been  as  well  manned  and  as  skilfully  managed, 
the  contest  must  soon  have  terminated  in  her  favor.  Her  offi- 
cers and  crew  fought  with  the  most  desperate  courage,  and  for 
the  force  engaged  on  each  side,  the  history  of  our  naval  war- 
fare furnishes  but  few  examples  of  a  sharper  conflict.  The 
brig's  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  amounted  to  nearly  half  her 
crew,  and  on  board  the  sloop  every  officer  was  either  killed  or 
wounded,  with  the  exception  of  the  Captain  and  Lieutenant 
Barney  —  several  of  the  crew  were  killed  and  more  than  a 
third  disabled. 

The  prize  proved  to  be  from  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  bound  to 
London,  with  a  cargo  of  rum  ;  and,  as  faithful  copyists  of  the 
record  before  us,  we  are  bound  to  mention,  that  she  had  also  on 
board  '  a  large  turtle,  with  the  name  of  Lord  North  carved 
on  the  shell!'  This  delicious  present,  upon  which  the  noble 
minister  might  have  feasted  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  and  his 
Board  of  Aldermen,  was  destined  to  grace  the  humbler  board 
of  an  American  patriot  —  it  was  sent  by  Lieutenant  Barney, 
on  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  to  his  friend  Robert  Morris. 

The  crippled  condition  of  the  Sachem,  after  this  severe  engage- 
ment, imposed  upon  Captain  Robinson  the  necessity  of  returning 
immediately  to  Philadelphia  in  company  with  his  prize,  on  board 
of  which  he  was  compelled  to  put  his  first  lieutenant,  Barney, 
contrary  to  usage,  there  being  no  other  officer  able  to  do  duty. 
Fortunately,  they  both  got  back  in  safety  ;  and  the  sense  en- 
tertained of  their  good  conduct,  by  the  Marine  Committee,  was 
almost  immediately  afterwards  evinced,  by  an  order  transfer- 
ring both  officers  to  a  larger  vessel — the  Andrea  Doria,  a  fine 
brig  of  14  guns.  This  vessel  was  then  lying  ready  for  sea, 
and  in  a  few  days  they  were  again  upon  the  broad  ocean. 

The  orders  of  Captain  Robinson  were  to  proceed  directly  to 
St  Eustatia,  to  take  in  a  quantity  of  small  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion (which,  notwithstanding  the  neutrality  of  the  states  of  Hol- 
land, had  been  deposited  there  for  the  use  of  our  army,  subject 
to  the  order  of  Congress,)  and  to  return  immediately  home  with 
it.  These  orders  necessarily  abridged  their  liberty  of  cruising, 
but  they  knew  that  a  large  British  fleet  under  Admiral  Parker, 
lay  somewhere  in  the  West  Indies,  and   they  were  not  without 


COMMODORE   BARNEY. 


47 


hope  of  meeting,  and  the  chance  of  pushing  their  good  fortune. 
—  On  their  arrival  at  St  Eustatia,  they  fired  a  salute  to  the  fort, 
which  the  Governor,  with  more  complaisance  than  prudence, 
returned  —  forgetting  that  he  thus  took  upon  himself  to  ac- 
knowledge the  independence  of  their  flag,  before  their  High 
Mightinesses  at  the  Hague  had  decided,  whether  to  listen  to 
the  remonstrances  of  Sir  Joseph  Yorke,  or  to  the  solicitations 
of  Dr  Franklin  :  for  this  premature  instance  of  courtesy,  the 
Governor  was  afterwards  displaced,  on  the  complaint  of  the 
English  government ;  —  the  fart,  nevertheless,  that  he  did  re- 
turn the  salute  of  the  Andrea  Doria,  contradicts  the  generally 
received  impression,  that  Captain  Paul  Jones  was  the  first  Ameri- 
can officer,  to  whom  such  an  honor  had  been  paid  by  a  foreign 
power  :  it  was  not  until  February,  1778,  that  Jones's  salute  was 
returned  by  the  French  Admiral  at  Brest. 

After  receiving  on  board  the  arms  and  ammunition  —  which 
our  kind  friends  in  Holland  did  not  hesitate  to  supply  us,  in  the 
way  of  trade,  notwithstanding  their  neutrality  —  the  brig  de- 
parted from  St  Eustatia,  on  her  return  to  the  Delaware.  Off 
the  west  end  of  the  Island  of  Porto  Rico,  they  discovered  an 
armed  ship  under  enemy's  colors,  bearing  down  upon  them 
with  every  disposition  for  battle  —  an  invitation  which  was  ea- 
gerly accepted  by  the  Andrea  Doria.  They  met ;  the  flag  of  the 
Union  was  hoisted  under  the  discharge  of  a  bro  d-side  from 
the  Brig,  which  the  sloop  was  not  slow  in  returning  ;  the  action 
was  long  and  vigorously  maintained,  but  at  the  end  of  two  hours, 
the  British  ensign  was  seen  descending  upon  the  deck  of  the 
sloop,  and  the  firing  ceased.  The  prize  turned  out  to  be  the 
Race-horse,  of  12  guns,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Jones  of 
the  Royal  Navy,  and  manned  with  a  picked  crew — having 
been  sent,  as  was  afterwards  ascertained,  on  her  present  expe- 
dition, by  Admiral  Parker,  for  the  express  purpose  of  inter- 
cepting the  Andrea  Doria,  of  whose  visit  and  object  at  St  Eus- 
tatia he  had  been  informed.  This  gave  additional  zest  to  the 
victory,  and  created  a  feeling  in  the  officers  of  the  American 
brig  somewhat  akin  to  that,  which  the  Jews  at  the  Court  of  King 
Ahasuerus  experienced,  when  'they  hanged  Haman  on  the 
gallows  that  he  had  prepared  for  Mordecai'  —  nee  est  lexjustior 
ulla  !  —  Lieutenant  Jones,  and  two  of  his  officers,  were  severely- 
wounded  in  the  action,  a  number  of  his  men  were  killed,  and 
the  greater  part  of  them  more  or  less  dangerously  wounded  : 
his  vessel  was  very  much  cut  to  pieces,  in  hull,  spars,  and  rig- 
ging, before  he  consented  to  make  the  signal  of  surrender.  The 
Andrea   Doria  had  three  or  four  killed,  and  about  double  that 


48 


MEMOIR  OF 


number  wounded.  Having  secured  the  prisoners,  and  given 
command  of  the  prize  to  his  second  lieutenant,  Mr  Dunn, 
Captain  Robinson  pursued  his  course  to  the  Delaware. 

A  few  days  after  this  event,  the  brig  fell  in  with,  and  captur- 
ed, an  English  snow,  from  Jamaica,  on  board  which  Lieutenant 
Barney  was  sent  as  prize-master.  The  snow  was  armed  ;  but 
as  the  Andrea  Doria  was  unable  to  spare  many  of  her  crew, 
already  weakened  by  the  necessity  of  manning  her  first  prize, 
Lieutenant  Barney  undertook  to  make  up  his  complement  among 
the  prisoners,  and  succeeded  in  inducing  several  to  enter  with 
him. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  month  of  December  ;  and  as  they  ap- 
proached our  stormy  coast,  they  soon  began  to  feel  the  influence 
of  hose  sudden  and  tremendous  blasts  from  the  northwest  and 
east,  which  render  our  navigation  at  this  season  so  difficult  mid 
dangerous.  A  constant  succession  of  violent  gales  continued, 
for  twelve  days,  to  render  vain  all  efforts  to  direct  the  course  of 
the  vessel.  In  one  of  the  earliest  of  these  storms,  the  prize 
tost  sight  of  the  Andrea  Doria,  and  Lieutenant  Barney  was  left 
to  the  guidance  of  his  own  discretion.  On  the  25ih  at  night, 
his  vessel  was  driven  among  the  breakers  on  Chincoteague 
shoals,  the  gale  then  blowing  furiously  from  the  east.  In  this 
dreadful  situation,  he  was  compelled  to  throw  out  his  anchor, 
as  offering  the  only,  though  but  faint,  hope  of  safety  —  every 
sea  broke  over  the  vessel  with  a  force  that  no  human  strength 
could  resist,  and  to  save  them  from  being  washed  overboard  he 
ordered  all  the  crew  into  the  tops,  where  he  himself  followed, 
expecting  every  instant  that  the  cable  would  part,  or  that  the 
vessel  would  drag  her  anchor  and  be  dashed  to  pieces  en  the 
rocks.  In  this  comfortless  and  horrible  position,  he  remained 
with  his  men  all  night,  watching  with  anxious  eye  the  eastern 
horizon,  that  he  might  catch  the  first  glimmer  of  the  dawn.  At 
length  the  tardy,  long-wished-for  light  appeared  ;  but  the  uncer- 
tainty of  the  darkness  had  been  happiness,  compared  to  the 
gloom  of  the  prospect  which  day  opened  to  his  view  —  astern 
of  him,  at  a  short  distance,  he  saw  the  land  —  all  around  him, 
the  breakers  literally  mountains  high  —  the  eastern  gale  still 
blowing  with  unabated  fury  —  on  every  side,  death,  in  its  most 
appalling,  least  resistible  form,  stared  him  in  the  face.  The 
situation  was  one  which  10  human  skill,  nor  courage,  nor  labor, 
could  meliorate  ;  but  it  is  in  such  situations  that  the  truly  brave 
man  finds  his  advantage  over  his  weaker  fellows  ;  he  dies  but 
once,  while  they,  '  die  many  times  before  their  deaths,'  in  the 
terrors  of  anticipation.     Upon  looking  around  at  his  companions 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


49 


in  this  calamity,  he  perceived  that  many  of  them  were  fast  sink- 
ing, under  the  combined  operation  of  cold,  want  of  sleep,  and 
fear ;  these  he  endeavored  to  rouse  into  an  exertion  of  fortitude 
and  patience,  by  recalling  to  their  minds  how  recently  they  had 
been  exposed,  to  equal  or  greater  hazard  of  death,  from  the 
guns  of  the  enemy,  and  comparing  their  present  cowardice  with 
the  manhood  and  firmness  they  had  exhibited  on  that  occasion. 
— '  I  am  not  much  of  a  chaplain,  my  good  lads,'  said  he,  in  a 
tone  of  fearless  confidence  —  'and  know  very  little  about  his 
palaver  and  such  stuff;  but  this  I  know,  that  the  same  Power 
that  protected  you  then,  can  protect  you  now,  and  if  we  are  all 
to  go  to  old  Davy  Jones's  locker,  why  d — n  it,  we  might  as  well 
go  with  a  bold  face  as  a  sheepish  one  !'  — This  brief  harangue 
had  the  desired  effect ;  if  it  did  not  seem  to  be  quite  so  pious  as 
the  chaplain  would  have  made  his  discourse  on  such  an  occa- 
sion, perhaps  it  enforced  more  strongly,  in  terms  better  under- 
stood, a  trust  in  the  saving  power  of  the  Deity,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  resignation  to  his  will :  the  crew  became  more  cheerful ; 
they  began  to  recount,  each  in  turn,  the  various  storms  and 
shipwrecks  they  had  experienced  ;  they  shook  off  by  degrees 
all  signs  of  apprehension  and  fear,  and  catching  from  the  exam- 
ple of  their  young  lieutenant  a  portion  of  his  intrepidity,  they 
soon  displayed  as  much  fortitude  as  himself.  —  At  length,  the 
cry  of  '  sail,  ho  !'  shouted,  at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  from  one  of 
the  men,  awakened  '  some  sparkles  of  a  better  hope'  in  every 
breast:  —  they  discovered  a  small  sloop,  at  no  great  distance 
from  them,  and  apparently  bearing  towards  them  :  with  what 
anxiety  they  watched  her,  may  be  easily  imagined.  — '  She  '11 
never  weather  it !'  —  '  Yes,  yes,  she  rides  it  gloriously  !'  — '  Ha  ! 
that  fellow  gave  her  a  terrible  blow — well  done,  my  little 
cruiser,  she  's  up  again  !' — '  She  strikes  —  O  God  !  it 's  all  over  !' 
— '  Do  you  ,see  her,  now,  Tom  ?'  — '  Shivered,  shivered,  into 
ten  thousand  atoms!' — One  loud  and  piercing  shriek,  mingling 
with  the  terrific  howl  of  the  blast,  and  borne  far  above  the  thun- 
dering roar  of  the  breakers,  fell  upon  their  ears  — it  was  the 
last  cry  of  mortal  agony,  the  last  effort  of  human  helplessness  : 
they  looked  again —  no  vestige  of  vessel  or  crew  was  visible  ; 
all  was  swallowed  up  in  the  arching  surge.  To  describe  the 
faintness  that  again  seized  upon  the  hearts  of  Barney's  men, 
while  they  still  clung,  with  the  grasp  of  despair  to  the  rigging  in 
the  tops  of  the  plunging  vessel,  would  be  impossible  :  they  be- 
lieved that  the  scene  of  horror  which  they  had  just  witnessed, 
was  but  the  prefiguration  of  their  own  inevitable  destiny,  and  no 
effort  could  again  inspire  them  with  hope,  or  courage  to  look 
5 


50 


MEMOIR  OP 


calmly  on  the  fate  that  awaited  them.  Lieutenant  Barney  him- 
self had  not  the  faintest  hope  of  preservation  ;  but,  even  amid 
the  loud  wailings  of  his  enervated  crew,  whose  deference  and 
respect  for  their  officer  were  lost  in  their  absorbing  fears  of  a 
higher  power,  he  maintained  the  serenity  of  fortitude  and  resig- 
nation. For  many  weary  hours  longer,  nothing  occurred  to 
lighten  the  gloom  of  their  situation— hunger  began  to  add  its 
torments  to  the  misery  of  their  prospect ;  but  contrary  to  all  ex- 
pectation, the  anchor  —  in  this  instance  the  true  emblem  of 
Hope  —  stood  firm,  and  the  well-twisted  cable  seemed  to  defy 
the  endless  friction  of  the  hawse  :  while  these  continued  true  to 
their  service,  the  winds  might  blow,  and  the  waves  break  over 
them  —  there  was  nothing  to  fear  but  the  effects  of  wakefulness 
and  inanition.  —  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  the  wind 
suddenly  shifted,  and  the  weather  became  moderate.  — '  Down 
from  the  tops,  my  men,'  cried  Barney,  .'  man  the  capstan,  and 
away  with  the  anchor !'  The  crew  were  another  set  of  beings, 
alert,  obedient,  cheerful,  as  if  no  danger  had  ever  assailed  them, 
and  in  five  minutes  the  snow  was  under  way,  clear  of  the 
breakers. 

On  the  27th,  Lieutenant  Barney  got  into  the  harbor  of  Chin- 

coteague,  where  he  remained  to  refresh  himself  and  his 
1777      wearied  crew  until  the  2d  of  January,  1777,  when,  in 

company  with  several  other  vessels  that  had  sought  shel- 
ter there  from  the  storms,  he  proceeded  to  sea,  with  the  design 
of  taking  his  prize  into  his  native  city.  On  the  following  day, 
being  within  a  few  hours  sail  of  Cape  Henry,  there  came  on  a 
severe  snow-storm,  which  drove  him  again  off  the  coast,  and  de- 
feated all  his  efforts  to  get  into  the  Chesapeake.  On  the  4th,  while 
still  making  every  exertion  to  weather  the  Cape,  he  was  chased 
by  a  ship  of  war,  which  he  did  not  doubt  belonged  to  the  enemy  : 
he  ordered  every  stitch  of  canvas  to  be  set,  believing  that  he 
should  be  able  to  make  good  his  escape  ;  but  at  this  moment, 
the  prisoners,  whom  we  have  already  mentioned  as  having  been 
induced  by  Lieutenant  Barney  to  enter  with  him  on  board  the 
snow,  became  mutinous,  and  refused  to  do  duty.  A  single 
glance  at  the  rascals  as  they  stood  insolently  before  him,  discov- 
ered to  him  which  was  the  ringleader  in  this  untimely  rebellion 
—  he  drew  a  pistol  from  his  belt,  and  ordered  the  fellow,  upon 
peril  of  his  life,  to  go  instantly  to  his  station,  and  assist  in  mak- 
ing sail ;  the  man  persisted  in  his  refusal,  and  added  some  words 
of  menace  —  Barney,  without  another  word,  fired  his  pistol,  the 
contents  of  which  passed  through  the  man's  shoulder.  This 
proof  that   their  young  commander  was  not  to  be  trifled  with, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  51 

intimidated  the  other  mutineers,  who  proceeded  without  further 
hesitation  to  obey  orders ;  but  it  was  now  too  late  —  the  ship 
had  gained  upon  them  so  rapidly,  while  this  little  affair  was  in 
transaction,  that  they  were  soon  overtaken  and  captured,  by  his 
Majesty's  ship  Perseus  of  20  guns,  commanded  by  the  Honor- 
able George  Keith  Elphinstone.  As  soon  as  the  crew  of  the 
snow  were  transferred  to  the  Perseus,  the  mutineer  upon  whom 
Lieutenant  Barney  had  inflicted  the  summary  chastisement  with 
his  pistol,  made  complaint  to  Captain  Elphinstone,  in  the  expect- 
ation nodoubt  that  some  instant  and  signal  retribution  would  be 
made  to  fall  upon  the  young  American  ;  but  the  honorable  com- 
mander of  the  Perseus,  after  hearing  out  the  fellow's  own  version 
of  the  circumstances,  without  putting  a  single  question  to  the 
American  officer,  declared  that  the  latter  had  done  no  more  than 
he  would  himself  have  done  in  a  similar  situation,  and  the  com- 
plainant had  the  mortification  to  find  himself  dismissed  with  a 
severe  reprimand  where  he  had  looked  for  sympathy  and 
redress. 

The  Perseus,  having  manned  and  despatched  her  prize  to 
one  of  His  Majesty's  loyal  ports,  proceeded  to  the  South,  with 
the  view,  as  it  appeared,  of  effecting  an  exchange  of  prisoners 
(of  whom  she  had  a  number  on  board  previous  to  the  recap- 
ture of  the  snow),  at  Charleston,  where  it  was  known  that  a 
number  of  loyalists  were  held  in  confinement,  consisting  chiefly 
of  the  emigrants  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  whom  Gov- 
ernor Martin,  of  North  Carolina,  had  induced  to  embody  them- 
selves and  take  up  arms  in  the  royal  cause.  Upon  his  arrival 
off  the  harbor  of  this  city,  Captain  Elphinstone  sent  in  a  flag 
of  truce  to  explain  his  purpose,  and  a  pilot-boat  was  soon 
after  despatched  by  the  authorities  on  shore,  with  such  of  the 
prisoners  on  board  as  were  fortunate  enough  to  fall  within  the 
terms  of  exchange.  A  novel  and  extraordinary  incident  oc- 
curred, on  this  occasion,  which  we  relate  not  only  as  affording 
an  apt  illustration  of  the  indomitable  spirit  of  our  young  lieuten- 
ant, but  because  it  gives  us,  at  the  same  time,  an  opportunity 
of  paying  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  honorable  character  of  the 
British  Commander. — -When  the  prisoners  from  the  shore 
were  brought  on  board  the  Perseus,  the  purser  of  the  ship  — 
who  was  a  Scotchman — seeing  so  many  of  his  countrymen 
among  them,  became  very  officious  in  questioning  them  as  to 
the  treatment  they  had  received  while  in  the  hands  of  the 
4  rebels,'  One  of  them,  assuming  to  speak  for  his  fellow-pris- 
oners, answered  that  they  had  been  '  used  very  ill,  having  re- 
ceived nothing  to  eat  but  bad  rice  mixed  with  sand  ! '  —  the 


52 


MEMOIR    OF 


purser's  Highland  blood  waxed  hot  as  he  listened  to  this  solu- 
tion of  his  queries,  and  turning  fiercely  around  upon  Lieutenant 
Barney,  who  had  been  quietly  standing  by,  he  gave  him  a  blow 
with  his  fist,  without  uttering  even  a  solitary  word  by  way  of 
prelude.  With  the  quickness  of  lightning,  Barney  —  prisoner 
as  he  was,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  foes  —  returned  the 
blow  with  such  well  aimed  force,  that  he  laid  his  assailant 
sprawling  over  one  of  the  quarter-deck  guns,  and  thence,  with 
a  rapidity  of  motion  that  defied  all  interference,  kicked  him 
fairly  down  the  hatchway  !  —  For  a  moment  the  whole  deck 
was  in  a  tumult,  and  the  infuriated  Scotchmen  would  indubita- 
bly have  sacrificed  the  daring  '  rebel'  to  their  esprit  du  corps, 
had  not  Captain  Elphinstone  opportunely  made  his  appearance 
upon  deck.  He  demanded  the  cause  of  the  unwonted  com- 
motion which  had  disturbed  him,  and  one  of  his  officers  having 
given  him  an  impartial  detail  of  the  circumstances,  he  called 
the  purser  and  Mr  Barney  to  follow  him  into  his  cabin.  When 
they  had  all  entered  it,  he  closed  the  door,  and  addressing  his 
purser  in  a  tone  of  severe  indignation,  told  him  that  he  had 
acted  the  part  of  a  coward,  had  disgraced  himself  forever,  and 
dishonored  His  Majesty's  service,  by  a  wanton,  unprovoked  in- 
sult, to  a  disarmed  prisoner  —  '  there  is  but  one  way,'  he  added, 
'of  atoning  for  this  enormity  :  down  upon  your  knees,  sir,  and 
crave  Mr, Barney's  pardon  and  oblivion  of  the  offence!'  — 
The  purser,  however,  who,  had  he  been  left  to  the  suggestion 
of  his  own  sober  reflection,  would  probably  have  volunteered 
any  reasonable  apology  for  an  outrage  which  he  could  not  ex- 
cuse, boldly  refused  to  make  the  abject  submission  required  of 
him,  and,  no  doubt,  by  this  very  refusal,  in  some  measure  soft- 
ened the  anger  of  his  captain,  whp  no  longer  insisted  upon  the 
humiliating  order  but  contented  himself  with  placing  the  offend- 
er under  arrest.  He  then  turned  to  Lieutenant  Barney,  and 
offered,  on  his  own  part,  the  most  gentlemanly  apology  lor  the 
insult  he  had  received  on  board  a  ship  which  he  had  the  honor 
to  command. — Thus  the  affair  ended  at  the  time:  whether 
the  purser  was  ever  brought  to  trial,  or  what  became  of  him, 
never  came  to  the  knowledge  of  Barney,  who  was  so  perfectly 
satisfied  with  the  punishment  he  had  himself  inflicted  upon  him, 
that  he  would  willingly  have  saved  him,  if  his  interposition 
could  have  done  it,  from  any  additional  humiliation.  —  As  soon 
as  the  pilot-boat  was  ready  to  return  with  the  exchanged  pris- 
oners, Lieutenant  Barney  —  who,  though  not  included  in  the 
exchange,  was  permitted  to  retire  on  parole  —  took  leave  of 
the  Perseus,   entertaining  a  grateful  sense  of  the  polite  and 


COMMODORE  BARNEY".  53 

honorable  treatment  he  had  experienced  while  on  board,  not 
only  from  Captain  Elphinslone,  but  (with  the  exception  just 
mentioned)  from  every  one  of  his  officers. 

Upon  landing  at  Charleston,  he  applied  immediately  to  the 
Agent  of  the  United  States  for  that  station,  to  be  furnished 
with  the  means  of  prosecuting  his  return  to  Philadelphia  ;  and 
having  received  from  that  officer  the  requisite  sum  of  money 
for  the  purpose,  he  purchased  a  horse  and  commenced  his 
journey  without  delay,  in  company  with  three  other  officers 
who  had  been  his  fellow-prisoners  on  board  the  Perseus. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  February,  when  these  '  Horse 
Marines,'  as  they  jocosely  styled  themselves,  entered  upon 
their  unaccustomed  mode  of  navigation  through  the  sands,  and 
pines,  and  morasses  of  the  Carolinas.  The  upper  parts  of 
these  two  States,  or  the  back  country,  as  it  was  then  called,  had 
been  settled  almost  exclusively — particularly  that  of  North 
Carolina  —  by  emigrants  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  who 
had  retained  their  affection  for  George  III.  and  their  allegiance 
as  British  subjects,  under  all  changes  of  measures  or  ministers. 
These  loyalists  had  constituted  the  larger  portion  of  the  troops, 
at  the  head  of  whom  General  Macdonald,  a  leader  of  their 
own  selection,  had  recently  made  his  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
gain  possession  of  Wilmington,  in  the  State  last  mentioned,  in 
pursuance  of  a  cunningly  devised  project  of  Governor  Martin. 
Their  co-settlers  of  the  back  country,  and  companions  on  that 
occasion,  were  the  famous  '  regulators,'  so  named,  quasi  lucus 
a  non  lucendo,  because,  in  their  general  conduct  and  character, 
they  evinced  a  thorough  contempt  for  everything  regular,  or- 
derly, and  decent —  being  always  ready  to  regulate  others,  but 
never  willing  themselves  to  be  regulated  ;  and  therefore,  per- 
haps, after  all,  their  appellative  was  the  most  appropriate  one 
that  could  have  been  adopted,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them 
historical  distinction.  How  the  British  Governor,  Martin,  con- 
trived to  bring  into  union  and  cooperation  two  classes  of  men, 
so  totally  different  in  all  their  habits,  sentiments,  and  motives, 
those  only  who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  studying  his  long 
correspondence  with  them  both,  would  be  able  to  explain  :  the 
fact  is  certain,  whatever  may  have  been  the  arts  or  inducement, 
resorted  to,  that  he  did  succeed  in  amalgamating  these  hetero- 
geneous materials,  and  transmuting  their  characteristic  antipa- 
thies into  the  closest  sympathy  ;  —  that  he  failed  in  the  ulti- 
mate object  he  had  hoped  to  effect  by  bringing  them  together, 
was  owing  rather  to  the  activity  of  the  Americans  in  assembling 
to  counteract  its  execution,  than  to  anv  material  defect  in  his 
5* 


54 


MEMOIR  OF 


plan ;  it  was  impossible  to  conceal  their  march,  and  the  party 
were  met,  before  they  reached  Wilmington,  by  Colonel  Moore 
with  a  body  of  Provincials,  and  totally  routed  and  dispersed, 
Macdonald  himself  and  many  of  his  men  being  taken  prisoners. 
The  exchange  effected  on  board  the  Perseus  included,  as  we 
have  said,  a  number  of  these  men  :  those  of  Macdonald's  party 
who  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  escape  from  the  pursuit  of 
Colonel  Moore,  returned  to  their  several  abodes,  with  loyalty 
undiminished,  and  with  feelings  tenfold  embittered  against  the 
Americans  and  their  cause,  by  recent  defeat. 

Lieutenant  Barney  and  his  three  comrades,  were  under  the 
necessity  of  travelling  through  this  colony  of  '  Scotch  tories,' 
as  the  whole  body  of  settlers  we  have  briefly  described  were 
indiscriminately  called,  by  the  revolutionists  and  their  friends  ; 
and  it  may  be  readily  imagined,  that  their  journey  was  far  from 
being  an  agreeable  or  a  peaceful  one.  They  met  with  insults 
and  interruptions  wherever  they  appeared,  and  w7ere  not  always 
able  to  procure,  even  at  double  prices,  the  necessary  refresh- 
ment for  themselves  and  horses.  At  the  little  village  of  Cross 
Creek,  they  found  themselves  so  much  fatigued  from  the  un- 
wonted exercise  of  riding,  added  to  the  annoyances  from  the 
source  we  have  mentioned,  that  they  agreed  to  halt  there  for  a 
day  in  order  to  recover  some  of  their  lost  vigor,  as  well  as  to 
give  rest  to  their  jaded  hacks.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  the 
tavern,  in  which  they  had  hoped  to  find  quiet  and  repose,  was 
suddenly  invaded  by  a  numerous  company  of  'tories'and  'reg- 
ulators,' who  seemed  bent  upon  mischief.  They  soon  began 
to  assail  the  young  officers,  whom  they  sought  to  provoke  into  a 
quarrel  by  a  torrent  of  scurrility  and  abuse,  and  every  species  of 
wanton  insult  short,  of  actual  blows ;  but  the  Americans  were 
prude  it  enough  to  bear  it  all  without  retort,  and  thus  showed 
that  they  possessed  '  the  better  part  of  valour,'  discretion —  for 
their  insi liters,  who  were  at  least  five  times  their  number,  having 
indulged  themselves  to  satiety  in  the  language  of  provocation, 

and  finding  that  the  'd d  young  rebels'  were  as  unmoved  by 

it  as  so  many  statues  would  have  been,  at  last  retired,  uttering 
loud  curses  upon  the  rebel  Congress  and  shouting  '  God 
save  the  King !'  —  At  a  late  hour  in  the  night,  Lieutenant  Bar- 
ney fo-tnd  out,  by  some  means  or  other,  that  four  or  five  of  these 
brawlers  still  remained  in  the  village  and  were  then  asleep  in 
a  small  house  at  no  great  distance  from  the  tavern  ;  he  roused 
his  companions,  to  impart  to  them  the  information,  and  to  propose 
a  scheme  of  revenge,  by  which  they  might,  at  the  same  time, 
1  have  a  little  fun  !'    He  found  his  fellow-travellers  as  ripe  for 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


55 


the  sport  as  himself,  and  while  they  were  getting  out  of  bed 
and  dressing  themselves  for  the  occasion,  he  called  up  the  land- 
lord, made  him  get  a  bottle  of  rum,  and  prepare  for  him  one  of 
the  resinous,  pine  sticks  which  had  served  all  the  evening  in 
place  of  the  more  expensive  light  of  candles.  By  the  time 
this  was  done,  his  friends  were  ready  to  jo'n  him,  and  they  all 
sallied  forth  by  the  blaze  of  the  pitch-flambeau,  bottle  in  hand 
to  the  house  in  which  Barney  had  'treed  his  game,'  to  use  a 
phrase  of  the  opossum  hunters.  Arrived  here,  they  found  no 
difficulty  in  gaining  entrance,  and  having  secured  the  door  be- 
hind them,  as  well  as  they  could,  they  proceeded  to  wake  up  the 
'tories,'  who  were  sound  asleep  in  the  loft.  Terribly  alarmed 
at  being  thus  disturbed,  and  not  doubting  that  the  whole  '  rebel 
army'  were  upon  them,  the  roused  sleepers  came  tumbling  over 
each  other  down  the  narrow  ladder  that  formed  the  only  com- 
munication with  their  place  of  lodging,  crying  out  as  they  fell 
upon  what  was  literally  the  ground  floor  —  '  We  surrender  !'  — 
*  We  surrender  !'  This  unexpected  overture  to  their  farce,  threw 
the  young  officers  into  such  a  paroxysm  of  mirth,  that,  if  the 
other  party  had  not  been  so  completely  overcome  by  surprise, 
the  laugh  might  soon  have  been  turned  against  them,  with  a  re- 
sult much  more  tragical  than  they  intended  !  but  fortunately, 
they  resumed  their  gravity,  before  the  prostrate  foe  had  time  to 
recover  from  their  consternation,  and  thus  preserved  their  ad- 
vantage. They  made  '  the  tories' kneel  down  in  aline,  and 
each  in  his  turn  drink  a  bumper  of  whiskey,  prefaced  by  cer- 
tain patriotic  toasts  of  Barney's  dictation,  such  as  '  Success  to 
Congress  !'  —  the  reverse  of  '  God  save  the  King  !'  and  many 
similar,  pithy  sentiments,  in  fashion  with  the  jolly  '  Independ- 
ents' of  the  day.  These  toasts  and  bumpers  were  repeated, 
until  '  John  Barleycorn'  gave  up  the  ghost,  or,  in  other  words, 
until  the  bottle  was  emptied  ;  and  such  was  the  genial  influence 
of  both  united  upon  the  kneeling  bibbers,  that,  before  the  last 
round  of  the  glass  they  would  all  have  willingly  enlisted  under 
the  banners  of  the  '  brave  captain,'  who  knew  so  well  '  how  to 
take  a  joke.'  —  Perfectly  satisfied  with  their  'revenge'  upon 
1  the  tories,'  the  young  travellers  now  returned  to  their  tavern. 
By  this  time  daylight  was  beginning  to  show  itself — the  land- 
lord and  his  household  were  early  stirrers,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
cooked  them  a  breakfast  of  fried  bacon  and  '  Johnny-cake  ;' 
their  horses  were  brought  to  the  door  as  fresh  and  lively  as  ever, 
and  before  sunrise  they  were  once  more  on  the  road. 

The  little  party  arrived  at  Philadelphia  early  in  March,  hav- 
ing been   nineteen  days   on   their  journey   from  Charleston- 


56 


MEMOIR  OF 


Here  it  was  the  irksome  fate  of  Lieutenant  Barney  to  remain, 
for  many  months,  an  inactive  spectator  of  the  bustling  scenes 
around  him;  for  no  opportunity  of  exchange  occurred,  and  be- 
ing under  the  obligation  of  parole,  he  could  neither  return  to 
his  vessel,  nor  take  part  in  any  act  of  hostility  against  the  ene- 
my. He  did  not,  however,  pass  this  interval  of  leisure  in  idle- 
ness or  unprofitable  amusement  ;  he  was  now  old  enough  to  be 
sensible  that  he  had  quitted  school  at  too  early  a  period  of  his 
life,  and  that  his  education  was  much  more  defective  than  he 
had  been  willing  then  to  believe  it :  he  applied  himself  assidu- 
ously to  the  study  of  mathematics  and  the  French  language, 
and  read  with  great  avidity  many  works  of  History  and  Biog- 
raphy;  he  occasionally  attended,  also,  the  debates  in  Congress, 
and  thus  became  better  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  strug- 
gle in  which  his  country  was  engaged,  and  more  able  to  defend 
her  cause  in  the  only  way  in  which,  as  a  non-combatant,  he 
could  undertake  her  defence.  Seven  months  were  spent  in 
these  improving  studies,  until,  at  length,  late  in  October,  to  his 
great  joy,  he  received  the  following  letter  from  his  honorable 
captor,  Captain  Elphinstone. 

•  Perseus,  off  the  Horse-Shoe.    7 
20th  Oct.  '77.  > 

1  Sir, —  Patrick  Henry,  Esquire,  Governor  of  Virginia,  hav- 
ing signified  to  me  in  his  letter  of  this  date,  that  Lieutenant 
Moriarty,  of  the  Solebay,  may  be  exchanged  for  Lieutenant 
Barney  of  the  Andrea  Doria,  the  former  is  now  sent  to  Hanover 
county,  about  sixty  miles  from  this  place ;  I  give  orders  today 
for  his  coming  down.  He  will  go  off  when  he  arrives;  in  con- 
sequence of  which  promise  of  exchange,  I  do  hereby  dis- 
charge you  from  your  parole,  leaving  you  at  liberty  to  return 
in  the  flag  of  truce.  I  am,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

George  Keith  Elphinstone. 
'  Mr  Barney,  of  the  Andrea  Doiia.' 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  unexpected,  or  more  fortunate 
for  Mr  Barney,  than  the  chance  which  threw  Lieutenant  Mo- 
riarty, just  at  this  moment,  into  the  hands  of  Governor  Henry. 
This  officer  had  been  sent  upon  a  watering  party  in  the  Chesa- 
peake, and  together  with  his  boat's  crew  had  been  captured  by 
the  vigilant  Virginians,  who  had  their  eyes  upon  every  spot  along 
their  shores,  that  offered  any  inducement  to  a  visit  from  the 
enemy,  either  for  the  purpose  of  refreshment  or  depredation. 
One  of  the  most  active  periods  of  the  war  was  just  approach- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


57 


mg,  which,  but  for  this  lucky  occurrence.  Lieutenant  Barney 
would  have  been  compelled  to  pass  in  inglorious  ease,  instead  of 
participating,  as  he  was  now  free  to  do,  and  did,  in  some  of  its 
most  trying  scenes;  for,  alter  this,  no  other  opportunity  of 
exchange  offered,  until  the  campaign  was  over,  and  the  con- 
tending forces  had  retired  to  their  respective  winter  quarters. 
The  moment  Captain  E'phinstone's  letter  of  release  came  into 
his  hands,  Lieutenant  Barney  hastened  on  board  the  Andrea 
Doria,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  force  that  had  been  prepared 
for  the  water  defence  of  Philadelphia,  and  where  he  was  re- 
ceived by  Captain  Robinson  and  his  former  messmates  with 
a  hearty  and  cheering  welcome.  In  the  figurative  language  of 
the  £un-deck,  many  a  'long  yarn'  was  spun,  and  many  a  quid 
reduced  to  the  condition  of  an  '  old  soldier,'  before  all  the  ad- 
ventures, vhich  had  happened  during  their  ten  months'  separa- 
tion, were  mutually  recounted.  Of  these  Barney  had  by  far  the 
largest  share  to  relate,  for  both  the  Andrea  Doria  and  her  prize 
the  Race-horse,  had  escaped  the  perils  of  the  tempest  in 
which  he  and  his  unfortunate  snow  had  suffered  so  much,  and 
had  arrived  in  Philadelphia  without  encountering  a  single  ad- 
venture that  could  be  worked  up  into  a  tale  of  interest ;  while 
on  the  contrary,  his  shooting  a  mutineer,  his  monomachy  with 
the  purser  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Perseus,  and  his  mid- 
night waggery  with  *  the  tories,'  were  called  for  and  repeated 
over  and  over  again,  to  the  infinite  entertainment  oi  the  mess* 


CHAPTER   VI 


Historical  Summary.  —  Sir  William  Howe  takes  possession  of  Philadelphia.  — 
The  Enemy's  Fleet  enters  the  Delaware.  —  Tremendous  Bombardment  of 
Mud  Island  Fort.  —  Notice  of  Lieutenant  Col.  Samuel  Smith. —  Anecdote 
of  Moses  Porter,  and  brief  Account  of  his  Services.  —  Fall  of  Mud  Island 
and  Red  Bank.  —  The  Americans  set  fire  to  their  Fleet,  and  escape  in  their 
small  boats  to  Bordentown.  —  Lieutenant  Barney  is  appointed  first  officer  of 
the  Virginia  Frigate  —  is  sent  to  Baltimore  with  a  Detachment  of  Seamen 
for  that  Vessel  —  marches  by  the  way  of  Valley  Forge.  — The  sufferings  of 
his  men  on  the  march  from  the  severities  of  the  weather.  —  He  delivers 
them  on  board  the  Virginia  — has  command  of  ihe  Frigate's  Tender  —  recap- 
tures an  American  Sloop  with  the  crew  of  an  enemy's  Barge  on  board.  — 
His  generous  treatment  of  the  prisoners  gratefully  acknowledged.  —  The  Vir- 
ginia attempts  to  go  to  sea  —  is  run  aground  between  the  Capes.  —  Extraor- 
dinary conduct  of  her  Commander. —  The  enemy  board  and  take  possession 
of  her. —  Barney  is  put  on  board  the  Emerald.  —  Humane  character  of  Cap- 
tain Caldwell  —  his  popularity  with  the  Americans  at  Hampton  — Governor 
Henry's  invitation  and  present  to  him.  —  Captain  Caldwell's  conduct  con- 
trasted with  that  of  other  British  Officers. 

The  year  1777,  from  its  beginning  to  its  close,  was  in  many 
respects  the  gloomiest  of  the  seven  through  which  our  revolution- 
ary fathers  were  compelled  to  struggle,  for  the  attainment  of 
that  inestimable  blessing  which  their  children  are  now  so  thank- 
lessly enjoying.  It  was  a  year  of  incessant  peril,  privation,  anx- 
iety, and  toil.  An  occasional  brilliant  exploit,  it  is  true,  both 
by  sea  and  land,  would  serve  to  cheer  for  a  moment,  the  hearts 
of  Congress  and  the  people  ;  but  when  the  temporary  excite- 
ment was  over,  and  the  view  was  once  more  turned  to  the  as- 
pect of  things  around  them,  nothing  was  visible  but  dreariness 
and  gloom. 

If  the  British  army,  at  this  period,  had  been  commanded  by 
such  a  man  as  Washington  —  or,  indeed,  by  any  man  who  valued 
reputation  more  than  ease,  — our  little  force  would  have 
been  annihilated  long  before  the  summer  harvests  were  gathered 
in,  and  another  generation  might,  in  all  probability,  have  passed 
away,  before  the  subdued  and  dispirited  colonies  could  again 
have  ventured  to  raise  the  standard  of  revolt :  at  least,  it  seems 
to  be  certain,  that  the  achievement  of  independence  must  have 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY  59 

been  retarded,  for  many  a  dark  year  of  suffering  and  oppres- 
sion. But  it  pleased  Heaven  to  send  us,  in  Sir  William  Howe, 
a  man  whose  indolence  and  love  of  pleasure  so  far  predomina- 
ted over  all  manhood,  sense  of  duty,  and  desire  of  fame,  that 
for  more  than  nine  months  he  kept  an  army  of  thirty  thousand 
men  —  veteran,  well-appointed,  and  eager  for  action  —  wast- 
ing their  energies  in  idleness  and  dissipation,  within  little  more 
than  a  day's  march  of  a  mere  handful  of  raw,  half-clad,  half- 
armed  recruits,  upon  whose  fate  rested  the  sole,  feeble  hope  of 
that  independence,  which  he  was  sent  to  crush  in  the  bud  !  It 
is  not  possible  to  account  for  the  unmilitary,  weak,  and  tady 
movements  of  this  highly  trusted  officer,  unless  we  may  believe, 
that  God,  in  his  mercy,  blinded  him  to  the  advantages  within  his 
reach,  in  order  to  preserve  our  Washington,  as  an  example  to 
all  future  ages  of  pure  and  virtuous  patriotism,  that  no  adver 
sity  could  weaken,  no  prosperity  tempt,  and  of  greatness,  un- 
sullied by  a  single  thought  of  personal  ambition. 

After  allowing  the  American  commander-in-chief  time  to 
discipline  his  little  army  —  which,  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  summer,  did  not  exceed  four,  and  at  no  time  amounted  to 
ten  thousand  men  —  and  opportunities  to  perform  some  of 
the  most  brilliant  feats  of  generalship  that  ever  were  displayed 
by  such  a  force,  so  situated,  while  he,  in  New  York,  was 
stretching  his  faculties,  and  tasking  the  wits  of  his  satellites,  to 
invent  new  modes  of  pleasure  and  new  sources  of  voluptuous 
enjoyment,  Sir  William  Howe  at  last  determined  to  take  the 
field  in  person,  and,  as  everybody  expected  to  make  an  attack 
upon  the  American  Capital  of  Philadelphia.  So  much,  how- 
ever, did  this  extraordinary  general  differ  from  all  other  military 
men,  in  his  tactics  and  plans  of  operation,  that  he  disdained  to 
adopt  the  obvious  and  easy  method  of  accomplishing  his  pur- 
pose, by  a  direct  march  through  the  Jersey's,  and,  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  all  who  were  acquainted  with  the  object  of  his  ex- 
pedition, embarked  his  whole  army,  (except  a  small  garrison 
left  to  hold  possession  of  New  York,)  on  board  his  fleet  —  thus 
not  only  trusting,  unnecessarily,  to  the  hazards  of  the  winds 
and  waves,  but  making  a  ridiculous  circuit  of  half  our  exten- 
sive sea  coast,  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  attacking 
Philadelphia  in  the  rear  !  He  embarked  his  army  at  New 
York  on  the  5th  of  July,  and,  passing  by  the  Delaware,  with  a 
demonstration  just  sufficient  to  make  known  his  object,  entered 
the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  landed  at  Elkton,  in  Maryland,  on 
the  24th  of  August.  At  this  point,  he  was  almost  at  as  great  a 
distance  from  the  object  of  his  attack,  as  he  was  at  the  point 


60 


MEMOIR  OF 


of  embarkation ;  his  march  was  over  a  more  hilly  road,  and 
not  a  single  facility,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  was  increased. 
It  could  hardly  have  been  his  design,  by  this  circuitous  route, 
to  surprise  the  American  general  ;  for  this  would  have  evinced 
an  ignorance  of  the  character  of  Washington,  which  we  ven- 
ture to  say  the  meanest  soldier  in  the  British, army  would  have 
been  ashamed  to  confess,  after  the  numerous  proofs  he  had 
witnessed  of  his  unslumbering  vigilance  and  tactical  sagacity; 
it  would  have  argued,  moreover,  an  unpardonable  ignorance  of 
the  topography  of  the  country,  to  suppose  that  he  could  as- 
cend the  Chesapeake  with  a  large  fleet,  land  an  army  at  Elk- 
ton,  and  march  to  Philadelphia,  before  intelligence  of  his 
movement  could  be  conveyed  to  the  latter  city  :  in  fact,  no 
secret  was  made  of  the  destination  of  the  armament  at  the  time 
of  its  embarkation,  and  it  must  have  been  well  known  to  him 
that  all  Washington's  movements,  for  a  long  time  before,  had 
been  governed  by  the  expectation  of  an  attack  on  Philadelphia. 
What,  then,  could  have  been  his  motive  for  adopting  such  a 
plan  of  operations,  against  all  military  rules,  in  opposition  to 
advice,  and  contrary  to  his  own  original  purpose,  as  communi- 
cated by  him  to  the  British  ministry  ?  We  appeal  in  vain  to 
history  to  solve  the  enigma,  and  cannot  help  repeating  our  be- 
lief, however  unphilosophical  it  may  be  thought,  that  the  whole 
affair  was  the  especial  work  of  a  higher  Power  than  human 
reason,  for  a  purpose  that  might  not  otherwise  be  accomplished 
without  a  miracle. 

That  Sir  William  Howe  succeeded  in  his  enterprise,  we 
cannot  regard  as  any  proof  of  his  generalship  :  he  certainly 
did  not  deserve  success ;  but  with  such  a  force  as  he  wielded, 
failure  was  impossible.  Washington,  small  and  incompetent  as 
were  his  means  of  resistance,  met  him  at  Brandywine,  and 
rendered  for  ever  memorable  the  banks  of  that  stream,  by  the 
vigorous  check  which  he  there  gave  to  an  army  of  more  than 
double  bis  numbers.  It  is  asserted  by  some  of  Sir  William's 
countrymen,  that  he  here  again  neglected  an  opportunity  of 
putting  an  end  to  the  campaign,  if  not  to  the  war,  by  thecapture 
of  Washington  and  his  whole  force  —  which  it  is  strongly  in- 
sisted was  entirely  within  his  power,  after  he  had  crossed  the 
Brandywine.  If  this  be  true — and  from  the  position  of  the 
two  armies,  such  seems  to  have  been  the  fact  —  it  is  only  an- 
other proof  how  peculiarly  the  destiny  of  our  great  Chief  was  in 
the  keeping  of  an  overruling  Providence. 

Jt  was  not  until  some  time  after  the  enemy  had  been  in  pos- 
session of  Philadelphia,  that  the  defences  which  had  been  pre- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


61 


pared  against  the  attack  by  water  were  called  into  operation. 
They  consisted  of  the  frigate  Delaware,  the  Province  ship,  the 
brig  Andrea  Doria,  two  chebacks,  several  sloops,  twelve 
galleys,  and  a  number  of  smaller  boats,  or  half  galleys,  all  under 
the  command  of  Commodore  Hazlewood  —  the  same  officer 
who,  a  year  before,  under  the  orders  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  led  the  galleys  in  the  attack  upon  the  British  ships  at 
the  mouth  of  Wilmington  Creek.  These  forces  were  stationed 
near  Mud  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Schuylkill,  on  which  a 
strong  fortification  had  been  constructed,  that  commanded  the 
navigation  of  both  rivers,  and  which  it  was  necessary  to  reduce 
before  a  communication  could  be  established  by  the  enemy  be- 
tween their  fleet  and  army.  East  of  this  island,  on  the  Jersey 
shore,  was  a  place  called  Red  Bank,  which  was  also  fortified, 
and  in  possession  of  the  Americans;  a  little  lower  down,  in  the 
Delaware,  was  Province  Island,  where  the  enemy  had  erected 
a  strong  battery  under  the  protection  of  their  fleet,  which  oc- 
cupied a  position  to  the  south,  and  partly  between  the  two 
islands.  The  naval  force  of  the  enemy  consisted  of  several 
ships  of  the  line,  a  number  of  frigates  and  sloops  of  war, 
galleys,  and  floating  batteries  —  a  power  which  it  would  seem 
almost  madness  in  our  feeble  defences  to  think  of  standing 
against  for  a  moment ;  and  yet  it  was  not  until  after  forty  days 
of  incessant  skirmishing,  cannonading,  and  bombarding,  that 
the  enemy  succeeded  in  gaining  command  of  the  navigation. 
Every  night  through  the  whole  continuance  of  this  tremendous 
battering,  our  officers  wTere  compelled  to  be  on  duty  in  the 
small  boats,  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  the  boats  of  the 
enemy,  which  were  making  constant  efforts,  under  cover  of  the 
darkness,  to  pass  up  to  the  city  with  provisions  for  the  army. 

Among  the  enemy's  galleys  there  was  one,  armed  with  a  brass 
18  pounder,  which  Lieutenant  Barney  particularizes  as  *  never 
having  failed  to  tell  when  fired.'  In  speaking  of  this  gun,  he 
adds:  'We  soon  became  so  wrell  acquainted  with  the  short, 
sharp  sound  of  her  explosion,  that,  whenever  it  was  heard, 
some  one  would  cry  out  "  Galley-shot !"  and  this  served  as  a 
kind  of  watch-word  at  which  all  hands  would  lie  down.' 

In  the  course  of  the  cannonading,  two  of  the  enemy's  ships 
ran  aground  in  attempting  to  second  the  effort  of  Colonel  Do- 
nop,  to  take  possession  of  Red  Bank  —  one  of  these,  it  is  ac- 
knowledged by  the  enemy,  was  set  on  fire  by  the  hotshot  from 
our  batteries,  the  Augusta,  of  64  guns ;  the  other,  the  Merlin, 
sloop  of  war,  was  abandoned,  and  both  of  them  soon  after- 
wards blew  up  with  a  tremendous  explosion,  so  that  it  is  more 
6 


62 


MEMOIR  OF 


than  probable  our  gunners  deserved  the  credit  of  having  de- 
stroyed them  both.  The  destruction  of  these  two  ships,  and 
the  failure  of  Donop's  attack  upon  the  fortress  of  Red  Bank 
which  commanded  the  entrenchments  on  Mud  Island,  served 
for  a  time  considerably  to  raise  the  hopes  of  the  besieged. 
But  Red  Bank  was  unable  to  hold  out  against  a  second  better 
devised  attack,  and  the  enemy  succeeded  in  bringing  their 
floating  battery,  of  twentyfour  24  pounders,  to  act  against  the  flank 
and  rear  of  the  fort  on  Mud  Island.  The  bellowing  of  this 
many-mouthed  monster,  soon  silenced  the  thunder  of  Mud  Fort, 
which  was  bombarded  at  the  same  moment  from  three  different 
position  —  our  own  guns,  turned  upon  it  from  Red  Bank,  —  the 
battery  we  have  just  mentioned  —  and  the  shipping  of  the 
enemy  which  had  hauled  up  under  the  western  shore.  One 
gun  after  another  was  dismounted  in  the  fort,  until  but  one  solita- 
ry piece  was  left  in  a  state  to  fire.  The  noble  defence  made  at 
this  fortification,  had  been  commenced  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant-colonel  Samuel  Smith,  of  Maryland,  the  gallant 
son  of  the  old  merchant,  whom  we  have  heretofore  introduced 
to  our  readers  as  the  owner  of  the  ship  *  Sidney,'  which  Bar- 
ney had  conducted  safe  home,  through  so  many  adventures — 
and  at  this  moment  a  venerable  Senator  in  Congress  from  his 
native  State  :  this  meritorious  officer  received  a  contusion  in 
the  shoulder,  early  in  the  siege,  when  he  retired  from  the 
command. 

The  late  Brigadier-general  Moses  Porter  —  well  known 
throughout  the  army  in  the  war  of  1812  by  the  singular  nick- 
name of  '  Old  Blow-hard'  —  was  a  sergeant  in  one  of  the  Ar- 
tillery companies,  stationed  in  Mud  Island  fort,  during  this 
memorable  bombardment.  After  all  the  guns  had  been  dis- 
mounted, or  otherwise  silenced,  except  one,  (as  just  mention- 
ed), Sergeant  Porter  himself  loaded  and  fired  this  solitary  gun 
several  times,  and  was  the  last  man  to  leave  the  fort.  There 
are  so  few  instances  in  the  world  of  soldiers  rising  by  merit 
alone,  without  solicitation  and  without  friends,  through  all  the 
regular  gradations  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  that  we  can- 
not think  it  will  be  out  of  place  to  record  the  fact  of  General 
Porter,  as  it  has  often  been  heard  from  his  own  lips  —  never  as 
a  matter  of  spontaneous  vaunt ;  for  no  man  was  less  fond  of 
talking  of  himself  than  General  Porter;  but  always  in  reply  to 
urgent  but  respectful  inquiry.  He  entered  the  revolutionary 
army  in  1775,  as  a  common  soldier,  was  made  a  corporal  in 
1776,  a  sergeant  in  1777,  and  thence  ascended,  step  by  step, 
through  the  numerous  intermediate  ranks,  to  that  of  Brigadier- 


COMMODORE  BARNEW 


63 


general,  which  he  did  not  attain  until  1814,  when  he  was  sent 
to  command  a  large  division  of  the  army  at  Norfolk,  in  Virginia, 
at  that  time  in  momentary  expectation  of  invasion.  Though 
he  was  then  far  advanced  in  years,  the  activity  and  energy  with 
which  he  labored  to  prepare  the  place  for  defence,  and  the  ra- 
pidity with  which  he  completed  the  most  extensive  works,  as  re- 
markable for  beauty  and  military  skill  in  the  design  as  for 
strength  in  the  execution,  excited  the  admiration  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Norfolk,  and  gained  for  this  modest  and  unobtrusive 
old  soldier  the  high  approbation  of  the  War  Department.  He 
died,  in  command,  we  believe,  at  Boston,  not  many  years  ago, 
after  a  constant  service  of  more  than  fbrtyfive  years. 

The  only  protection  to  our  little  fleet  being  lost  by  the  des- 
truction and  abandonment  of  Mud  Island  fort,  it  was  thought 
advisable,  rather  than  permit  them  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  to  set  fire  to  them,  and  take  the  chance  of  escaping  up 
the  river,  in  the  night,  with  the  galleys  and  small  boats  :  after 
taking  out  of  the  ships  everything  that  could  be  conveniently 
carried  away  in  the  boats,  their  purpose  was  happily  accomplish- 
ed on  the  night  of  the  1 6th  of  November;  the  boats  passed  up 
the  river  without  molestation,  and  arrived  safely  at  Bordentown, 
on  the  Jersey  shore  —  the  Delaware  frigate  had  unfortunately 
been  run  aground  some  time  previously,  opposite  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  in  that  defenceless  situation  had  fallen  an  easy  prey- 
to  the  enemy  :  she  was  the  only  one  of  our  ships  that  came 
into  their  possession  by  this  hard  won  victory. 

In  the  beginning  of  December  following,  Lieutenant  Barney 
was  ordered  to  t<ike  command  of  a  detachment  of  officers  and 
seamen,  and  to  march  them  to  Baltimore,  where  their  services 
were  required  (or  the  frigate  Virginia  —  of  which  he  was  at  the 
same  time  appointed  lieutenant.  He  crossed  the  Delaware 
directly  from  Bordentown,  and  with  a  view  to  escape  the  pick- 
ets and  outposts  of  the  enemy,  made  for  the  Schuylkill  at  Val- 
ley Forge,  where  Washington  had  just  established  the  uncom- 
fortable winter  quarters  ol  his  little  army.  He  halted  his 
party  here  just  long  enough  to  offer  his  respects  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-chiet  —  who,  even  at  this  early  day,  was  beloved 
and  revered  as  a  father,  alike  by  sailor  and  soldier  —  and  then 
continued  his  march.  The  severities  of  winter  had  already 
commenced,  and  -the  roads  were  soon  rendered  so  impassable 
by  heavy  falls  of  snow  and  sleet,  that,  for  many  days  together, 
they  were  unable  to  advance  more  than  a  few  hundred  paces  at 
a  time,  without  stopping  to  thaw  the  icicles  that  accumulated  in 
glittering  pendants  from  their  eyes,  noses,  and  mouths ;  the  toes 


64 


MEMOIR  OF 


and  fingers  of  many  of  the  seamen  were  incurably  frost-bitten, 
and  the  party  did  not  reach  Baltimore  until  the  end  of  the 
month,  exhausted  and  worn  out  from  the  combined  effects  of 
cold,  wet,  and  fatigue. 

Soon  after  delivering  his  detachment  on  board  the  Virginia, 

he  was  himself  selected  to  command  a  pilot-boat-tender, 
1778     and  ordered  to  cruise  about  the  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of 

watching  the  motions  of  the  enemy  and  reporting  any 
opportunity  that  might  occur  for  the  frigate  to  get  to  sea.  While 
in  the  performance  of  this  duty,  he  was  one  day  chased  through 
Tangier  Sound  by  one  of  the  enemy's  crusiers  ;  as  he  was  mak- 
ing good  his  retreat  up  the  Bay,  he  fell  in  with  a  large  sloop 
from  Baltimore,  bound  out,  which  he  had  spoken  and  passed 
on  the  previous  evening  :  supposing  her  to  be  unconscious  of  the 
imminent  danger  and  capture  she  was  incurring,  he  approached 
with  the  purpDse  of  hailing  her,  and  was  in  the  act  of  ordering 
her  to  put  about  and  return  up  the  Bay  with  him,  when  a  vol- 
ley of  small  arms  was  fired  into  him,  and  he  was  at  the  same 
time  ordered  to  '  strike,'  upon  the  penalty  of  receiving  *  no 
quarter'  if  he  refused.  Astonished  at  such  a  reception,  from  a 
vessel,  in  the  character  of  which  he  supposed  it  impossible  he 
could  be  mis  aken  —  having  been  for  several  hours  in  her  com- 
pany only  the  day  before  —  he  immediately  tacked  about  and 
stood  for  her,  with  a  view  to  return  the  fire,  let  it  come  from 
what  source  it  might.  This  movement  brought  him  upon  the 
lee  of  the  sloop,  and  there  the  mystery  was  explained  —  an 
enemy's  barge  lay  hauled  in  close  along  side.  He  opened  a 
fire  of  muskets  and  swivels,  and  a  smart  action  ensued,  which 
was  warmly  maintained  on  both  sides  for  several  minutes,  until 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  adverse  party  received  a  wound, 
when  the  sloop, immediately  struck  her  colors.  —  It  appeared 
that  this  vessel  had  been  boarded  in  the  night,  while  she  lay  at 
anchor ;  and  the  boarding  party,  being  informed  of  Lieuten- 
ant Barney's  passage  down  the  Bay,  formed  a  resolution  to  en- 
trap him.  The  better  to  carry  on  their  scheme  of  deception, 
the  officers  of  the  barge  dressed  themselves  in  the  blanket 
coats  of  the  captain  and  mate  of  the  sloop,  concealed  their 
men,  and  hauled  the  barge  close  up  under  the  lee  of  the  sloop. 
Had  the  party  been  less  eager  in  their  attack,  perhaps,  their 
plan  might  have  succeeded ;  but  it  was  Barney's  good  fortune 
to  give  it  a  different  issue.  His  little  vessel  suffered  a  good 
deal  in  her  rigging,  everything  being  cut  away  three  feet  above 
their  heads,  which  showed  with  what  unskilful  precipitation  the 
enemy  attempted  to  carry  their  point.  —  The  contest  decided, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


65 


he  gave  the  command  of  the  sloop  to  her  former  capttin, 
brought  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  barge  on  board  his  own 
vessel,  and  took  the  barge  in  tow.  The  whole  affair  did  not 
take  up  much  more  time  than  its  description  has  occupied  the 
reader :  the  enemy's  cruiser  was  still  in  full  chase,  and  in  this 
manner  he  continued  his  retreat  before  her,  until  he  arrived 
safely  with  his  prizes  and  prisoners  in  Baltimore.  His  first 
care,  on  arriving,  was  to  place  the  wounded  officer  in  comfort- 
able quarters,  and  to  see  that  every  attention  was  paid  to  him 
which  his  situation  required  —  to  all  his  prisoners  he  exercised 
that  urbanity  aud  kindness  which  a  truly  brave  man  never  fails 
to  show  towards  a  fallen  enemy  ;  and  upon  some  of  them  ex- 
pressing a  desire  to  obtain  a  supply  of  clothes  and  other  little 
personal  comforts  —  none  of  which,  of  course,  they  had  taken 
with  them  in  the  barge  —  he  procured  a  flag  of  truce  to  be 
sent  down  to  the  enemy  for  that  purpose.  That  his  kindness 
was  not  lavished  upon  men  insensible  to  obligation,  or  ungrate- 
ful, the  following  note,  which  he  received  by  the  return  of  the 
flag  of  truce,  affords  honorable  testimony  :  — 

'Otter,  March  9,  1778. 

'  Capt.   Squire   begs  to  return   Lieut.  Barney  many  thanks 
for  his  kind  treatment  to  Mr  Gray,  and  the  people  of  the  Otter, 
that  fell  into  his  hands,  and  assures  Mr  Barney  he  shall  be  hap- 
py on  all  occasions  to  render  him  any  service. 
*  Lieut.  Barney,  of  the  Frigate  Virginia,  Baltimore.' 

A  small  present  of  English  cheese  and  porter  —  rare  articles 
at  the  time  on  the  table  of  a  revolutionary  officer —  accompa- 
nied this  polite  note.  Such  examples  of  reciprocal  good  feel- 
ing in  the  midst  of  a  sanguinary  war,  do  more  honor  to  the  in- 
dividuals respectively  concerned  than  a  thousand  acts  of  mere 
heroism  in  the  military  sense  of  the  term  —  they  are  like  foun- 
tains of  pure  water  gushing  forth  upon  the  thirsty  traveller  over 
a  parched  desert ;  spots  of  verdure,  blooming  and  smiling,  while 
all  around  is  arid,  dreary,  and  barren.  Courage  in  fight  is  but 
an  attribute  which  man  possesses  in  common  with  the  brute  j 
charity,  on  the  contrary,  or  that  feeling  of  benevolence  which 
leads  him  to  pity  and  relieve  the  sufferings  of  his  subdued  foe,  is 
exclusively  human  —  it  exalts  him  above  mere  animal  nature, 
and  proves  '  the  divinity  that  stirs  within'  him. 

On  the  3 1st  of  March,  the  Virginia  made  an  attempt  to  get 
to  sea  in  the  night,  in  which  she  would  certainly  have  succeed- 
ed, in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy's  squadron,  but  that 
6* 


66 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  pilot  ran  her  on  the  Middle  ground,  between  the  Capes  — 
where  she  knocked  off  her  rudder  and  was  compelled  to  lie  all 
night,  completely  unmanageable.  At  daylight  the  next  morn- 
ing, three  of  the  hostile  frigates,  which  they  had  passed  in  the 
obscurity  of  the  previous  night,  neither  seeing  nor  being  seen  by 
them,  were  discovered  at  anchor  but  a  short  distance  from  them. 
The  moment  this  was  reported  to  the  captain,  he  ran  upon 
deck,  ordered  the  barge  to  be  hoisted  out,  and  without  taking 
time  even  to  secure  his  papers  or  private  signals,  left  the  frigate, 
and  made  good  his  escape  to  the  shore.  This  conduct  of  their 
commanding  officer  was  perfectly  incomprehensible  to  all  on 
board  ;  nor  was  it  surmised  by  anybody  that  it  could  be  his  inten- 
tion to  commit  so  extraordinary  an  act  of  dereliction,  until  the 
barge  had  actually  pushed  off:  remonstrance  then,  if  allowable 
at  any  time  in  subordinate  officers,  would  have  been  too  late. 
By  this  inexplicable  abandonment  of  the  Virginia,  on  the  part 
of  her  captain,  Lieutenant  Barney  became  the  commanding 
officer ;  and,  believing  that  it  would  be  at  least  practicable  to  pre- 
vent her  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  by  running  her  on 
shore  at  Cape  Henry,  as  the  wind  was  fair  and  blowing  some- 
what fresh,  he  immediately  ordered  the  cable  to  be  cut,  with  that 
view  ;  but  he  was  overruled  by  the  counsel  of  the  other  lieuten- 
ants and  the  pilot,  who  all  declared  it  to  be  impossible  to  ap- 
proach the  land,  and  so  steadily  maintained  the  right  of  the 
majority  to  control,  under  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  that 
all  Barney's  arguments  were  of  no  avail  —  he  wTas  compelled  to 
submit.  The  crew,  finding  their  senior  officer  thus  counteract- 
ed in  his  first  order  by  those  who  ought  to  have  set  the  example 
of  obedience,  soon  became  unruly  —  they  broke  open  the  pur- 
ser's stores,  distributed  his  liquors,  and  in  a  little  time  a  perfect 
saturnalia  prevailed  on  board.  There  was  not  much  of  Job's 
virtue  in  the  composition  of  Barney's  character :  what  there 
was  of  it,  however,  was  called  into  full  exercise  on  this  occasion 
—  if  he  wraited  quietly  for  a  change  of  the  scene,  it  was  because 
he  could  do  nothing  else. 

The  enemy,  in  the  meantime,  seemed  to  be  in  no  hurry  to 
secure  a  prize,  which  they  were  probably  well  satisfied  could 
not  escape  them  —  for  it  was  not  until  ten  o'clock,  that  a  boat 
from  one  of  His  Majesty's  frigates,  the  Emerald,  Captain  Cald- 
well, was  sent  on  board  to  take  possession.  It  happened  to  be 
*  All  Fools  day,'  —  (1st  April,)  a  circumstance  of  which  Lieu- 
tenant Barney  afterwards  humorously  availed  himself,  to  account 
for  the  extraordinary  scenes  to  which  his  captors  were  intro- 
duced. — r  The  crew  of  the  Virginia  were  distributed  among  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


67 


several  ships  of  the  enemy's  squadron  ;  and  Lieutenant  Barney 
himself  was  taken  on  board  the  Emerald,  where  he  was  treated 
with  every  mark  of  attention  and  kindness  by  Captain  Caldwell, 
who  gave  him  accommodations  in  his  own  cabin,  and  sought  by 
various  acts  of  civility  to  show  to  his  youthful  prisoner,  the  high 
sense  which  all  His  Majesty's  officers  in  the  Chesapeake  enter- 
tained of  his  gentlemanly  and  generous  deportment  towards  the 
crew  of  the  Otter's  barge.  An  exchange  was  immediately  pro- 
posed :  and  William  Barney,  a  brother  of  our  lieutenant,  who 
was  the  marine  officer  of  the  Virginia,  was  sent  to  Baltimore 
with  a  number  of  Americans  equal  to  the  crew  of  the  barge. 

The  day  after  this  affair,  the  ci-devant  commander  of  the 
Virginia,  made  his  appearance  in  a  flag  of  truce,  to  inquire  after 
his  clothes.  Barney  could  not  resist  the  temptation  which  this 
occasion  offered,  to  upbraid  his  former  captain  for  being  the  first 
man  to  abandon  his  ship,  when,  as  he  firmly  believed,  if  he  had 
remained  on  board,  he  might  not  only  have  avoided  the  disgrace 
of  capture  and  deprived  the  enemy  of  a  valuable  prize,  but  have 
saved  three  hundred  men  from  the  sufferings  and  privations  of 
imprisonment  for  an  indefinite  space  of  time.  The  captain  did 
not  condescend  to  offer  the  slightest  explanation,  or  to  make  a 
reply  of  any  sort  to  this  rebuke  of  his  quondam  lieutenant  ;  but, 
having  been  permitted  to  take  possession  of  his  personal  effects, 
he  proceeded  to  gather  these  together,  and  then  returned  to  the 
shore  in  his  flag  of  truce. 

While  Lieutenant  Barney  remained  on  board  the  Emerald,  he 
was  permitted  to  go  on  shore,  at  Hampton,  whenever  he  desir- 
ed it,  and  occasionally  to  stay  for  several  days  at  a  time.  He 
found  the  people  of  this  olace  and  neighborhood  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  character  of  Captain  Caldwell,  for  whom  they  pro- 
fessed to  entertain  a  high  respect.  His  uniform  kindness  and 
humanity  to  all  the  Americans  who  fell  into  his  hands,  had  pro- 
cured for  him,  among  his  English  compeers,  the  sobriquet  of 
the  {  Rebel  Captain,'  while,  with  the  former,  it  rendered  him 
so  popular,  that  he  was  hardly  regarded  as  an  enemy.  In 
conversation  with  Lieutenant  Barney  one  day,  he  expressed  a 
wish  that  he  could  go  on  shore  and  visit  some  of  the  kind  citi- 
zens, who  had  honored  him  with  so  many  civil  messages  and 
presents :  Barney,  who  mistook  the  meaning  of  this  wish,  and 
supposed  that  Captain  Caldwell  wanted  only  a  formal  invita- 
tion from  the  proper  authorities,  mentioned  the  subject  to  the 
American  officers  on  his  next  visit  to  Hampton,  and  had  the  satis- 
faction of  being  made  the  bearer,  on  his  return  to  the  Emerald, 
of  an  especial  message  from  Patrick  Henry,  esquire,  the  Gover- 


68  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

nor  of  Virginia,  inviting  Captain  Caldwell  to  a  '  hunting  match* 
to  be  held  in  a  kw  days.  The  captain  evinced  much  sensibility 
at  this  unlooked  for  mark  of  respect  from  Governor  Henry,  and 
expressed  great  regret  that  he  could  not  accept  the  invitation  — 
1  But,'  said  he,  '  it  is  more  than  I  dare  do,  Barney.'  Upon  re- 
ceiving his  excuses,  the  governor  sent  him  a  present  of  a  fine 
milch  cow,  with  a  supply  of  provender  for  her,  and  accompani- 
ed it  with  a  polite  message,  that  the  supply  should  be  renewed 
whenever  necessary  upon  application  at  Hampton  in  his  name. 
—  If  all  the  officers,  whom  Great  Britain  sent  to  chastise 
her  rebellious  children  in  America,  had  resembled  Captain  Cald- 
well, and  a  few  others  whose  names  are  still  gratefully  remem- 
bered in  many  parts  of  our  country,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  the  rebellion  might  have  been  crushed  long  before  it  assumed 
the  name  of  revolution  :  —  our  fathers  might  at  any  time  have 
been  conciliated  by  kindness ;  bu!  the  rancorous  and  savage 
cruelty  with  which  the  war  was  for  the  most  part  carried  on,  par- 
ticularly in  its  inceptive  stages,  with  the  avowed  object  of  '  coer- 
cing' them  into  obedience,  instead  of  intimidating  or  subduing 
them,  served  only  to  excite  a  fierce  spirit  of  revenge,  which  long 
outlived  the  acknowledgment  of  their  independence,  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  second  war,  before  that  generation  had  en- 
tirely passed  away. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


Lieutenant  Barney,  with  other  Prisoners,  is  sent  to  New  York.  —  He  forms  a 
plan  to  seize  ihe  St  Albans,  and  capture  the  enemy's  whole  fleet  — the  se- 
cret is  betrayed  by  a  Frenchman  :  —  #ood  humor  of  Captain  Onslow  on  the 
oecasion  —  Barney  avows  his  whole  design.  —  Arrival  at  New  York.  —  He 
is  sent  on  board  a  crowded  Prison-ship — sufferings  <>(  the  prisoners;  — 
his  reflections  up'»n  his  treatment.  —  Hopes  inspired  by  the  appearance  of 
Count  D'Estaign's  Fleet  —  disappointed. — Admiral  Byron  airives. — The 
condition  of  the  prisoners  greatly  meliorated.  —  Lieutenant  Barney  is  re- 
in* >ved  to  the  Flag-ship  —  acquires  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  Ad- 
miral:—  he  is  seized  in  New  York  as  an  Incendiary  —  his  narrow  escape 
from  his  savage  accusers.  —  He  is  exchanged  for  the  first  Lieutenant  of  the 
Mermaid — visits  Baltimore  —  consents  to  lake  command  of  a  small  aimed 
Merchantman  —  is  captured  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  put  ashore.  —  Cap- 
tain Robinson  arrives  in  Baltimore  —  his  flattering  offer  to  Barney:  — 
the  latter  accepts  it.  —  Voyage  to  Bordeaux  in  an  armed  Merchantman.  — 
They  engage  and  beat  off  an  English  Privateer  of  superior  force  —  anive  at 
Bordeaux  —  Armament  of  the  Ship  increased.  —  They  sail  for  Philadelphia. 
—  Action  with,  and  Capture  of,  a  British  Letter  of  Marque  Ship  of  equal 
force.  —  Safe  Arrival  of  both  Ships  at  Philadelphia. 


During  the  spring  and  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1778, 
the  British  Squadron  in  the  Chesapeake  became  so  crowded 
with  American  prisoners,  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  the 
commanding  officer  to  send  them,  or  the  greater  part  of  them, 
to  New  York,  which,  upon  the  resignation  of  Sir  William  Howe, 
and  evacuation  of  Philadelphia,  had  again  become  the  head 
quarters  of  the  enemy.  For  this  purpose,  the  prisoners,  to 
the  number  of  nearly  five  hundred,  who  had  been  previously 
distributed  among  the  several  ships  of  the  squadron,  were 
collected  on  board  the  St  Albans,  a  ship  of  64  guns,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Onslow,  and  a  few  days  afterwards  she  left 
the  Chesapeake,  having  under  convoy  the  Virginia  and  several 
other  prizes  of  value.  Lieutenant  Barney  was  among  the 
number  of  those  thus  despatched  for  New  York,  and  was  al- 
most the  only  officer  of  any  distinction  in  that  predicament. 
It  was  not  without  some  regret,  that  he  found  himself  compelled 
to  exchange  the  comfortable  quarters  which  Captain  Caldwell 
had  assigned  him  in  his  cabin,  for  a  small  space  in  the  crowded 


70 


MEMOIR  OP 


gun-room  of  the  St  Albnns  ;  but  the  hope  of  a  more  speedy 
chance  of  exchange  at  New  York  than  he  would  have  had  in 
the  Chesapeake,  soon  reconciled  him  to  the  difference  of  ac- 
commodation ;  and  in  all  other  respects  he  was  treated  by- 
Captain  Onslow  with  the  same  politeness  and  respect  that  he 
had  experienced  on  board  the  Emerald. 

After  the  St  Albans  had  got  fairly  to  sea,  and  Barney  had 
had  time  to  look  at  the  state  of  things  around  him,  he  was  sur- 
prised to  discover,  that  the  number  of  men  composing  the  crew 
of  the  ship,  did  not  exceed  two  hundred  and  fifty,  or  three 
hundred  at  the  utmost  —  being  but  little  more  than  half  the 
number  of  prisoners  on  board.  An  idea  instantly  occurred  to 
him,  that  a  scheme  might  be  formed,  which,  if  well  managed, 
would  inevitably  lead  to  one  of  the  grandest  results  that  ever 
sprung  from  the  conception  of  a  prisoner.  When  he  had  per- 
fectly digested  every  part  of  his  project  in  his  own  mind,  and 
satisfied  himself  of  its  practicability,  he  sounded  some  of  his 
companions ;  and  finding  them  ready  and  willing  to  unite  with 
him,  he  unfolded  the  whole  plan  —  it  was  bold  an,d  daring,  but 
at  the  same  time  so  little  complicated,  that  every  man  compre- 
hended it,  and  nobody  entertained  a  doubt  of  complete  success: 
the  particular  station,  and  part  to  be  acted,  were  assigned  to 
each  individual ;  and  the  day  and  hour  of  execution  were 
fixed.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  a  number  of  the 
prisoners  slept  in  the  gun  room,  where  nearly  all  the  small  arms 
of  the  ship  were  deposited  :  it  was  their  purpose  to  possess 
themselves  of  these,  which  they  could  have  done  without  diffi- 
culty ;  they  had  found  means  to  communicate  their  intention  to 
the  men  confined  in  the  hold  ;  and  they  had  even  gone  so  far 
as  to  gain  over  many  of  the  crew.  —  Lieutenant  Barney,  with 
two  assistants,  was  to  seize  Captain  Onslow  in  the  cabin,  and 
secure  possession  of  the  signals.  Everything  went  on  with  a 
facility  beyond  their  hopes  :  the  day  arrived.  —  Eleven  at  night, 
during  the  stillness  of  the  first  watch,  was  the  hour  agreed  upon 
All  was  still  as  the  grave  —  every  man  in  breathless  expecta- 
tion waited  the  concerted  signal  —  five  bells  sounded;  another 
half  hour,  and  then!  —  But  the  last  stroke  of  the  bell  had 
scarcely  ceased  to  vibrate,  when  an  unusual  noise  occurred  at 
the  door  of  the  gun-room  — a  guard  entered  and  took  away 
the  arms ;  double  sentries  were  placed  there  and  at  all  the 
other  stations  ;  but  not  a  word  was  uttered  to  any  of  the  pris- 
oners !  —  Night  wore  heavily  away  to  the  astonished  and  baffled 
conspirators ;  and  the  morning  light,  which  they  had  expected 
to  greet  with  Io  Pceans  to  liberty  and  triumph,  shone  upon 


COMMODORE  BARNEV.  71 

lengthened  visages  and  down-cast  eyes.  That  day,  Lieuten- 
ant Barney  dined  with  Captain  Onslow ;  the  dinner  passed  off 
with  the  usual  etiquette  and  ceremonious  politeness,  and  not  a 
word  was  said  in  allusion  to  the  occurrences  of  the  night;  but 
Barney  thought  he  could  discover  a  lurking  smile  in  the  corner 
of  the  captain's  eye,  whenever  he  addressed  his  discourse  to 
him,  which  seemed  to  say  — '  I  am  a  little  too  cunning  for  you, 
my  Yankee  youngster.'  During  the  remainder  of  the  passage 
the  guards  were  doubled,  and  no  opportunity  was  given  of  re- 
newing the  project ;  nor  could  the  utmost  ingenuity  of  the  dis- 
appointed schemers  discover,  by  what  means  their  secret  had 
been  so  inopportunely  delected  —  not  a  man  cf  them  dreamed 
of  treachery  in  one  of  their  own  party  !  —  At  length,  after  ar- 
riving within  Sandy  Hook,  Barney  was  again  invited  to  dine 
with  Captain  Onslow  ;  the  dinner  over,  and  a  few  glasses  of 
wine  circulated,  the  captain  turned  to  his  prisoner-guest  and 
with  a  good  humored  laugh,  said  to  him  : 

*  Well,  Barney!  you,  it  seems,  were  to  have  seized  on  me — 
what  were  your  intentions?  1  hope  you  did  not  mean  me  any 
personal  harm  ? ' 

'Only  a  little  restraint,'  Barney  replied — 'in  all  else,  I 
should  have  treated  you  —  as  you  have  treated  me  —  very  much 
like  a  gentleman.  —  But,  as  I  perceive  you  know  all  about  it, 
Captain  Onslow,  and  the  thin  j,  is  all  over,  do  tell  me  how  you 
found  out  our  secret  ? ' 

Captain  Onslow  laughed  heartily,  as  he  answered  —  'Why, 
it  was  one  of  your  new  friends  that  betrayed  you  —  one  of  the 
frog-eating  Movnseers  that  you  Yankees  have  just  taken  into 
partners  lip.  He  came  to  me  at  len  o'clock  that  night,  and 
gave  me  the  whole  history,  ft  was  a  bold  scheme,  Barney  — 
a  devilish  good  one  !  but  what  could  you  have  done,  after  all? ' 

'  Done  ?  — J  should  have  taken  your  whole  fleet !  '  replied 
Barney. 

'  The  d — lyou  would  !'  said  Captain  Onslow,  scanning  the 
face  and  whole  figure  of  his  dialogist — 'Taken  the  whole 
fleet,  ha  ?  —  Capital,  by  Jove  !  —  Let  us  hear  how  you  would 
have  managed  that,  my  sturdy  Boanerges  !  —  You  have  nothing 
to  lose  now,  so  you  might  as  well  tell  me  —  how  would  you 
have  contrived  it?' 

Barney,  not  at  all  disconcerted  by  the  laugh  of  his  entertain- 
er, proceeded  without  hesitation  to  justify,  as  he  thought,  his 
very  bold  assertion,  by  detailing  his  intended  plan  of  opera- 
tions, as  follows  :  —  '  You  will  admit,'  said  he,  '  that,  hut  for  the 
treachery  of  the  scoundrel  who  betrayed  our  secret,  we  could 


72  MEMOIR  OF 

not  have  failed  to  make  ourselves  masters  of  the  St  Albans.  — 
By  gaining  possession  of  her  we  should  have  had  at  our  command 
at  least  seven  hundred  men  —  the  Virginia  would  next  have 
fallen  easily  into  our  hands,  as  well  as  the  other  prizes  in  com- 
pany. With  these  vessels  properly  manned,  we  should  have 
returned  to  the  Chesapeake —  and  there,  by  the  help  of  your 
signals,  what  was  to  prevent  us  from  bringing  into  our  clutches 
your  two  frigates,  the  Emerald  and  the  Solebay,  and  your  Otter 
sloop  of  war  —  and  all  the  rest  of  your  squadron,  one  after  the 
other  —  sir,  the  thing  was  feasible,  and  we  should  have  accom- 
plished it  to  a  certainty,  but  for  the  cowardly  traitor,  who ' 

'  Converted  your  "castle  in  the  air"  into  a  floating  castle  !' 
interrupted  the  captain,  with  another  laugh. 

'  Yes  !'  said  Barney,  '  Such  a  fellow  deserves ' 

*  To  be  set  at  liberty  for  his  honesty  —  which  I  have  prom- 
ised to  do  as  soon  as  we  come  to  anchor,'  said  Captain  Onslow, 
again  interrupting  the  sentence  which  Barney  was  about  to  pro- 
nounce on  his  renegade  associate.  The  subject  was  now  drop- 
ped, and  the  ship  soon  after  reached  her  anchorage  ground  :  the 
captain  performed  his  promise  to  the  Frenchman,  who  was  set 
ashore  in  one  of  the  first  boats  that  left  the  ship,  loaded  with 
the  execrations  of  every  man  whom  he  had  left  in  bondage  be- 
hind him. 

As  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the-St  Albans  within  the  har- 
bor of  New  York  as  arrangements  could  be  made  for  their 
removal,  the  prisoners  were  all  transferred  to  a  prison-ship, 
where  for  the  first  time  Barney  experienced  what  it  was  to  be 
really  a  prisoner  :  hitherto  he  could  scarcely  be  said  to  have 
felt  a  privation  or  an  inconvenience  of  any  kind;  he  had  been 
treated  by  his  generous  captors  with  marked  courtesy  and  liber- 
ality—  a  prisoner  only  in  name  : — now  he  was  confined  in  a 
crowded,  uncomfortable,  filthy  prison-ship,  and  doomed  to  feel 
as  well  as  to  witness  miseries  and  sufferings,  of  which  he  had 
never  before  even  imagined  the  existence.  What  rendered 
his  situation  still  more  unpleasant  and  irksome  was,  that  he  was 
the  only  *  Continental'  or  United  States  officer  on  board  ; 
the  other  prisoners  being,  for  the  most  part,  common  seamen, 
and  skippers  of  coasting  vessels,  with  their  mates  and  crews. 
From  this  circumstance  he  was  inclined  to  believe,  but 
probably  without  good  reason,  that,  notwithstanding  the  show 
of  frankness  and  good  humor  with  which  Captain  Onslow  had 
rallied  him  on  his  defeated  project,  his  present  treatment  —  so 
different  from  anything  he  had  ever  before  experienced  — was 
the  result  of  that  officer's  resentment,  and  designed  as  a  punish- 


COMMODORE  BARNEV. 


73 


ment  for  his  unreserved  avowals  on  that  occasion.  But,  could 
it  be  possible,  (he  asked  himselt)  that  Captain  Onslow  would 
so  dishonor  the  hospitality  of  his  own  table  as  to  encourage  a 
freedom  of  conversation  for  the  purpose  of  taking  mean  advan- 
tage of  it  afterwards?  and  if  not,  why  was  he  alone  subjected  to 
this  indignity  ?  —  or  why  was  he  not  punished  at  the  moment  of 
the  discovery  of  his  plot  ?  —  he  had  expected  it  then,  and  would 
have  been  ready  to  suffer  any  harshness  or  severity  of  retalia- 
tion that  might  have  been  imposed  upon  him,  without  complaint; 
now  he  looked  upon  it  as  malice  —  a  cowardly  vindictiveness 
of  spirit  —  which  no  honorable  man  would  cherish  towards  an 
enemy  in  his  power  !  These  reflections,  however,  instead  of 
lessening  the  unpleasantness  of  his  situation,  served  only  to  ren- 
der it  the  more  galling;  and  he  endeavored  to  shake  them  off 
by  making  himself  as  useful  as  he  could  to  his  fellow  prisoners, 
many  of  whom  were  so  sick  and  feeble,  from  the  effects  of  long 
confinement,  that  they  were  unable  to  help  themselves  even  to 
a  drink  of  water.  By  this  active  exercise  of  the  Samaritan 
virtue,  he  soon  forgot  his  own  privations  and  imaginary  causes  of 
discontent,  and  even  began  to  regard  the  fact  of  his  being  the 
only  commissioned  officer  so  situated,  as  a  compliment  paid  by 
the  enemy  to  the  zeal  and  activity  of  his  services  against  them. 
It  was  not  long  after  he  had  brought  himself  to  this  happy 
state  of  self  complacency,  that  the  news,  somehow  or  other, 
reached  the  prisoners,  that  the  Count  D'Estaing  had  made  his 
appearance  off  Sandy  Hook  with  a  formidable  French  fleet, 
consisting  of  twelve  ships  of  the  line  and  several  frigates. 
This  information  was  well  calculated  to  inspire  hopes  of  im- 
mediate release  in  all  the  prisoners  :  they  knew  that  the  British 
ships  in  the  harbor  would  be  totally  incompetent  to  resist  such 
a  force,  and  they  did  not  doubt  that  the  moment  of  their  delivery 
was  at  hand.  Day  after  day,  however,  passed  away  until  they 
began  to  regard  the  intelligence  as  a  cruel  jest  practised  upon 
their  feelings  —  at  length  it  was  said,  that  the  whole  French 
fleet  were  in  motion  :  and  the  evident  alarm  of  their  keepers, 
added  to  the  visible  commotion  and  consternation  around  them, 
left  them  no  room  to  doubt  the  report,  and  their  hopes  were 
again  raised  to  the  highest  pitch.  But  alas  !  they  were  doomed 
to  still  severer  disappointment  and  mortification  than  before  — 
the  huzzas  which  reached  their  ears  from  all  sides,  told  them  but 
too  plainly  the  fact,  that  the  Count  D'Estaing  —  in  imitation  of 
that  celebrated  *  King  of  France,'  who 

with  thirty  thousand  men 


Marched  up  the  hill,  and  then  —  march'd  down  again'  — 


74  MEMOIR  OF 

had  disappeared  from  the  Hook  with  all  his  ships  !  Such  an 
unexpected  movement  was  of  course  incomprehensible  to  the 
prisoners,  —  as  it  was  indeed  to  many  who  had  better  opportuni- 
ties of  forming  a  correct  judgment  —  but  they  could  only  won- 
der in  silence,  and  prepare  themselves  as  they  might  for  the 
horrors  of  a  lengthened  imprisonment. 

Lieutenant  Barney  was  kept  on  board  his  floating  prison  only 
ten  or  twelve  days  after  the  departure  of  the  French  fleet. 
The  arrival  of  Admiral  Byron  who  had  been  sent  to  relieve 
Lord  Howe,  was  a  circumstance  at  which  all  the  prisoners  had 
reason  to  rejoice.  On  the  first  visit  of  this  officer  to  the  prison- 
ship,  which  was  made  in  due  state  a  few  days  after  his  taking 
command,  a  most  favorable  change  was  made  in  the  treatment 
of  the  Americans  —  he  ordered  several  large  and  airy  ships  to 
be  converted  into  prisons  for  their  better  accommodation  ;  at- 
tended particularly  to  the  comfort  of  the  sick,  appointing  nurses, 
and  directing  such  supplies  of  nourishment  and  medicines 
to  be  furnished  as  their  several  cases  required  —  and  learning 
the  peculiar  situation  of  Lieutenant  Barney,  as  we  have  already 
explained  it,  he  gave  orders  for  him  to  be  removed  on  board 
his  own  flag-ship,  the  Ardent,  of  64  guns.  From  this  time 
forth,  the  admiral,  accompanied  by  his  captain  and  secretary, 
visited  the  prison-ships  regularly  every  week  ;  inspected  the  ac- 
commodations ;  inquired  minutely  into  the  conduct  of  the  keep- 
ers ;  listened  to  the  complaints  of  the  prisoners,  and  evinced 
towards  them,  in  all  respects,  a  spirit  of  humanity  and  benev- 
olence that  did  great  honor  to  his  principles,  and  entitled  him  to 
the  gratitude  of  hundreds  who  were  '  ready  to  perish.' 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Lieutenant  Barney,  afier  his  re- 
moval to  the  flag-ship,  to  attract  the  favorable  notice  of  Admiral 
Byron,  and  gradually  to  win  so  much  upon  his  regard  and 
confidence,  that  he  was  frequently  invited  to  accompany  him 
in  his  charitable  visits  to  the  prison-ships  ;  and  on  such  occasions 
was  made  the  medium  of  communication  with  his  countrymen 
on  the  subject  of  their  complaints  and  grievances,  which  the 
admiral  was  well  aware  might  sometimes  be  withheld  from 
himself  from  awe  or  deference  for  his  high  rank.  After  a  little 
time,  this  high-minded  and  benevolent  officer  acted  altogether 
upon  the  reports  which  Lieutenant  Barney  was  required  regularly 
to  submit  to  him,  of  the  condition  and  wants  of  the  prisoners ; 
and  whenever  a  flag  of  truce  arrived  with  English  prisoners 
for  exchange,  the  whole  matter  of  arrangement  and  selection 
of  Americans  to  be  returned,  was  confided  entirely  to  him. 
He  had  a  boat  placed   at  his  command,  and  was  permitted  to 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


75 


go  ashore  whenever  he  pleased,  with  no  other  restriction  than 
his  promise  to  return  on  board  to  sleep. 

On  one  of  his  occasional  visits  to  the  city,  he  met  with  a  re- 
ception rather  more  warm  than  welcome.  He  had  been  invit- 
ed to  breakfast,  in  New  York,  with  Sir  William  Twisden,  one 
of  the  admiral's  aids  :  during  the  previous  night  a  fire  had 
broken  out  in  the  city,  which  had  spread  to  an  alarming  extent, 
and  was  still  burning  when  he  landed  in  the  morning  in  pursu- 
ance of  his  invitation.  To  do  honor  to  the  occasion,  he  had 
dressed  himself  in  his  full  American  uniform,  whjch  was  some- 
what of  an  eye-sore  to  the  loyal  subjects  of  New  York —  as  he 
passed  near  the  fire,  which  lay  directly  in  his  road  to  Sir  Wil- 
liam's quarters,  he  was  suddenly  and  rudely  seized,  on  pretence 
of  being  suspected  as  one  of  the  incendiaries  to  whose  diabol- 
ical agency  the  fire  was  attributed,  and  threatened  with  being 
instantly  thrown  into  the  flames  ;  a  threat,  which  he  had  every 
reason  to  believe,  from  the  savage  and  ferocious  bearing  of  his 
accusers,  they  would  have  put  into  immediate  execution,  but 
for  the  timely  interference  of  a  British  officer,  to  whom  he  made 
himself  known  as  the  prisoner  and  guest  of  the  admiral.  The 
men  who  held  him  in  their  gripe,  however,  were  not  at  all  will- 
ing to  believe  this  story,  which  they  pronounced  to  be  an  aggra- 
vation of  the  offence  ;  and  as  the  British  officer  was  unable  on 
his  personal  knowledge  to  vouch  for  its  truth,  he  proposed  that 
they  should  all  accompany  the  accused  to  the  residence  of  the 
admiral  and  there  have  it  verified  or  contradicted  :  after  some 
hesitation  this  was  agreed  to,  and  Barney  was  at  last  released. 
By  this  time  the  breakfast  hour  had  passed  over,  and  not  choos- 
ing to  put  his  kind  host  to  the  trouble  of  ordering  the  table  to  be 
set  a  seccond  time,  he  thought  it  advisable  to  lose  no  time  in 
returning  on  board  the  i\rdent — a  resolution  which  his  friend 
Sir  William  approved,  and  that  he  might  incur  no  fresh  haz- 
ard on  the  road,  he  was  accompanied  by  that  gentleman  to  his 
boat. 

In  a  short  time  after  this  narrow  escape,  from  a  much  worse 
fate  than  a  prison-ship,  Lieutenant  Barney  had  the  good  fortune 
to  be  released  from  imprisonment.  Among  the  many  happy 
results  that  followed  the  appearance  of  a  French  fleet  on  our 
coast,  was  the  capture  of  the  British  frigate  Mermaid  —  or  rather 
the  stranding  her  on  the  Jersey  shore  of  the  Delaware — by  which 
event  an  officer  of  equal  rank  with  that  of  Lieutenant  Barney 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  As  soon  as  the  disaster 
came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  British  Admiral,  he  sent  Barney 
off  to  Philadelphia,  with  an  offer  to  exchange  him  for  the  first 


76 


MEMOIR  OF 


lieutenant  of  the  Mermaid,  which  was  at  once  accepted;  and 
he  thus,  after  having  been  a  prisoner  for  nearly  five  months,  be- 
came once  more  a  free  man.  This  exchange  was  effected 
about  the  latter  end  of  August,  and  there  being  no  immediate 
duty  for  him  to  perform,  he  seized  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
his  relatives  and  friends  at  Baltimore.  In  truth,  at  this  period 
and  for  a  long  time  afterwards,  the  number  of  our  naval  officers, 
so  far  exceeded  the  demand  for  them  in  our  little  navy,  that 
many  of  them,  rather  than  remain  idle  and  inactive,  embarked 
in  the  privateer  service,  or  on  board  armed  merchantmen,  where 
they  perhaps  rendered  as  important  and  efficient  aid  to  their 
country,  as  they  could  have  done  in  the  public  ships  of  war. 
It  will  not  be  supposed  that  one  of  Barney's  enterprising  and 
restless  spirit,  could  long  content  himself  at  home,  when  he 
could  be  usefully  employed  whether  in  private  or  public  service  ; 
and  he  was  not  long  in  Baltimore  before  an  opportunity  occurred 
in  the  former  service,  which  he  readily  embraced.  At  the  solici- 
tation of  one  of  the  Baltimore  merchants,  he  took  command  of 
i  a  fine  little  schooner,  armed  with  two  guns  and  eight  men* 
and  having  on  board  a  cargo  of  tobacco  for  St  Eustatia.  —  We 
confess  we  are  disposed  to  look  upon  the  consent  of  Lieutenant 
Barney  to  take  command  of  this  humble  force,  as  an  act  that 
entitles  him  to  great  praise,  not  only  as  it  shows  him  to  have 
been  free  from  any  inordinate  elation  at  the  distinction  which 
his  services  had  already  gained  him,  but  as  it  is  an  evidence  of 
his  unselfish,  generous  zeal  and  intrepidity  in  the  service  of 
others.  It  was  impossible  he  could  hope  to  gain  honor  by  such 
a  command,  and  the  idea  of  emolument  must  have  been  still 
further  from  his  expectations;  but  he  believed  he  might  be  use- 
ful, and  that  was  motive  enough  for  him.  We  wish  it  had  been 
in  our  power  to  record  that  he  made  a  successful  voyage,  with 
his  *  fine  Jittlfi  schooner'  and  '  cargo  of  tobacco  ;'  but  the  truth 
compels  us  to  state,  that  he  was  not  even  so  fortunate  as  to  reach 
the  Capes  —  in  going  down  the  Bay,  he  was  met  by  an  Eng- 
lish privateer,  with  four  large  guns  and  sixty  men  ;  he  made  a 
running  fight  of  a  few  minutes,  had  one  of  his  eight  men  killed 
and  two  wounded,  but  being  overtaken  and  boarded,  nothing 
remained  but  submission.  The  privateer,  who  had  no  desire  to 
be  encumbered  with  prisoners,  landed  him  and  the  remnant  of 
his  little  party  at  Cinapuxent  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Ches- 
apeake, and  carried  off  the  schooner  and  tobacco.  From  this 
place,  he  found  his  way  in  a  little  time  again  to  Baltimore, 
where  he  was  compelled,  in  the  nautical  phrase,  to  '  lie  on  his 
oars'  for  many  successive  weeks. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


77 


His  old  friend  and  former  commander,  Captain  Isaiah  Rob- 
inson, came  to  Baltimore  some  time  in  November  of  this  year, 
(1778.)  Barney  was  of  course  delighted  to  meet  with  him  after 
so  long  a  separation,  and  Captain  Robinson  was  not  less  grati- 
fied to  see  him,  and  to  see  him,  too,  without  employment  —  for 
the  principal  object  of  his  visit  to  Baltimore  at  this  moment, 
was  to  make  an  ofYer  of  service  to  him.  He  had  the  command 
of  a  fine  private  ship  then  lying  at  Alexandria,  undergoing  com- 
plete equipment  as  a  cruiser,  with  a  letter  of  marque  com- 
mission—  he  had  selecte  I  Barney  as  his  first  officer;  and  as 
an  inducement  for  the  latter  to  accept  the  station,  he  offered 
him  an  equal  division  of  his  privileges.  Barney  at  once,  and 
cheerfully,  consented  to  go  with  his  old  commander,  but  posi- 
tively refused  to  accept  any  other  privilege  than  he  would  be 
entitled  to  as  first  lieutenant.  A  bargain  is  soon  struck  between 
two  parties,  where  one  is  ready  to  take  less  than  the  other  is 
willing  to  give  —  the  captain  would  have  made  almost  any  sac- 
rifice to  secure  the  services  of  his  former  lieutenant,  and  Bar- 
ney never  had  a  mercenary  feeling  in  his  life.  Having  made 
his  arrangements,  he  proceeded  immediately  to  Alexandria  to 
superintend  and  expedite  the  fitting  out  of  the  ship.  On  his 
arrival  there,  however,  he  did  not  find  things  in  so  prosperous  a 
state  as  he  had  been  led  to  imagine ;  there  was,  as  he  said,  a 
1  scarcity  of  means'  —  and  where  that  is  the  case,  there  must 
always  be  delays  and  obstacles.  It  was  difficult  to  procure 
guns,  small  arms,  and  ammunition,  and  still  more  difficult  to  get 

together  the  requisite  number  of  men  ;  and  it  was  not 
1779     until  the   month   of  February,   1779,  that  they  were 

able  to  get  to  sea,  with  12  guns  of  different  sizes  and 
thirtyfive  men,  a  much  smaller  armament  than  had  been  at  first 
contemplated,  and  little  more  than  half  the  crew.  They  had 
on  board  a  cargo  of  tobacco,  and  were  bound  to  Bordeaux. 

On  the  third  day  after  they  left  the  Capes,  they  discovered  a 
vessel  in  chase.  As  they  were  weakly  manned,  and  under  ex- 
press orders  not  to  seek  an  engagement  with  the  enemy  when  it 
could  be  avoided,  they  kept  on  their  course  with  as  much  sail  as 
they  could  advantageously  carry.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening 
the  full  moon  shining  with  unclouded  lustre  —  the  vessel  in  chase 
came  up  with  them,  and  running  up  English  colors,  made  the 
hail  usual  to  superiors;  the  only  reply  the  ship  vouchsafed  to 
this  demand,  was  to  hoist  her  American  flag,  and  as  this  was 
distinctly  visible  by  the  bright  light  of  the  moon,  the  enemy 
ordered  it  to  be  instantly  hauled  down  again  —  a  broadside 
from  the  ship  was  the  prompt  and  loud-spoken  answer  to  the 


78  MEMOIR  OF 

imperious  order ;  it  bad  the  effect  of  bringing  down  the  ene- 
my's fore-topsail,  cutting  away  a  good  deal  of  their  rigging,  and 
producing  considerable  confusion  on  board.  They  had  per- 
haps not  expected  to  meet  with  such  resistance,  but  they  were 
soon  prepared  to  return  the  fire,  and  an  action  was  kept  up  at 
intervals  until  midnight.  Finding  that  they  were  unable  to  get 
rid  of  the  enemy,  who  hung  about  the  ship's  quarters  and  stern, 
giving  her  a  shot  or  two  every  twenty  or  thirty  minutes,  Barney 
proposed  to  cut  out  a  stern-post  —  a  matter  which  had  been 
wholly  overlooked  in  building  the  ship  —  and  to  bring  up  from 
the  gun-deck  one  of  their  long  three  pounders,  with  which 
they  might  at  least  be  enabled  to  give  the  enemy  an  occasion- 
al return  for  his  many  compliments.  This  arrangement  was  ac- 
ceded to  at  once  by  the  captain,  and  in  a  little  time  the  gun 
was  ready  for  a  stern-fire.  About  midnight  the  enemy  made 
one  of  his  accustomed  approaches  close  under  the  stern  of  the 
ship,  and  meeting  with  a  reception  which  he  had  not  calculated 
upon  from  this  newly  placed  gun,  he  hauled  off,  and  made  no 
further  attack  during  the  remainder  of  the  night.  —  At  day- 
break the  next  morning,  they  discovered  that  their  antagonist 
was  a  brig  of  16  guns,  that  she  was  numerously  manned,  and 
had  several  persons  on  board  in  full  uniform,  from  which  they 
concluded  that  she  was  one  of  His  Majesty's  cruisers,  and  felt 
somewhat  proud  at  having  succeeded  in  baffling  her  designs. 
The  brig,  however,  as  it  seemed,  had  not  yet  given  up  the  en- 
terprise —  about  sunrise,  she  attempted  once  more  to  run  up 
under  the  ship's  stern,  for  the  purpose,  as  was  believed,  of 
boarding  her;  in  which,  if  she  had  succeeded,  the  ship  must 
have  been  compelled  to  surrender.  At  this  time,  Barney,  who 
had  taken  command  of  the  stern-chaser,  the  quarter-master 
who  assisted  him  with  the  gun,  and  the  helms-man,  were  the 
only  persons  on  the  quarter-deck  —  Captain  Robinson,  with  the 
rest  of  the  crew,  being  on  the  gun  deck,  ready,  if  an  opportu- 
nity should  offer,  to  pour  a  full  broadside  into  his  pursuer.  The 
*  long'three'  was  well  served  on  this  critical  occasion  —  a  con- 
stant fire  of  grape-shot  was  kept  up  from  it ;  and  to  one  load, 
Barney  added  a  crowbar,  the  efficacy  of  which  was  instantly 
perceptible  on  the  enemy  ;  it  cut  away  his  fore-tack,  all  his 
weather  fore-shrouds,  and  compelled  him  suddenly  to  wear  ship, 
in  order  to  save  his  foremast,  which  must  otherwise  have  gone 
by  the  board.  While  he  was  wearing,  the  captain  had  an  op- 
portunity of  seconding  this  well  aimed  blow  of  his  lieutenant, 
by  playing  away  his  whole  broadside,  which  put  an  end  to  the 
contest,  for  the  brig  made  no  u.rther  attack,  and  the  ship  was 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


79 


well  content  to  pursue  her  voyage.  —  An  account  of  this  en- 
gagement afterwards  appeared  in  a  New  York  paper,  from  which 
the  officers  of  the  ship  learned,  that  the  brig  was  the  privateer 
*  Rosebud,'  Captain  Duncan,  carrying  sixteen  guns,  and  a 
hundred  and  twenty  men,  of  whom  fortyseven  were  killed  and 
wounded  —  the  American  ship  was  charged  in  the  account  with 
unfair  righting,  in  using  langrage  ! — Barney's  crowbar  was 
the  only  article  of  loading  used,  that  could  be  brought  under 
that  denomination ;  but  if  he  had  fired  all  the  crowbars  in  the 
ship,  and  marlinespikes  to  boot,  we  are  at  loss  to  conceive  why 
it  deserved  to  be  called  'unfair,'  —  a  charge  which  always 
comes  with  an  ill  grace  from  the  superior  force  —  particularly 
as  the  battle  was  entirely  unsought  on  the  part  of  the  American, 
and  waged  strictly  in  sell-defence. 

On  their  arrival  at  Bordeaux,  which  they  gained  without  fur- 
ther interruption,  the  armament  of  the  ship  was  entirely  renew- 
ed :  they  mounted  her  with  eighteen  six  pounders,  and  increas- 
ed her  crew  to  seventy  men.  Having  disposed  of  their  to- 
bacco and  taken  in  a  cargo  of  brandy,  they  sailed  from  Bor- 
deaux in  the  early  part  of  August  for  Philadelphia.  About 
mid-passage,  they  discovered  a  ship,  one  morning  at  daylight, 
manoeuvring  as  if  she  desired  to  inquire  into  their  character : 
being  now  better  prepared  than  they  had  been,  for  offensive,  or 
defensive  operations,  as  the  occasion  for  either  might  occur, 
and  finding  the  stranger  to  be  an  enemy,  they  soon  had  the  ship 
clear  for  action ;  at  sunrise  the  combatants  met,  both  apparent- 
ly equally  ready  for  atrial  of  prowess — several  broadsides 
were  gallantly  exchanged,  and  the  action  promised  to  be  warm- 
ly sustained  on  both  sides  ;  but,  at  the  end  of  the  first  half  hour, 
the  enemy  seemed  disposed  to  regard  further  contest  as  unpro- 
fitable, and  passed  by  before  the  wind,  crowding  the  canvas  upon 
her  with  a  rapidity  that  showed  her  to  be  anything  but  pleased, 
with  the  tcU-a-tete  she  had  just  held  with  the  American.  The 
wind  was  light,  our  ship  was  heavily  laden,  and  the  flying  ene- 
my outsailed  her  so  much,  that  she  was  several  times  in  the 
course  of  the  day  beyond  sight  from  the  deck  :  towards  even- 
ing, however,  a  rain  came  on,  the  wind  freshened,  and  the 
American  was  enabled  once  more  to  come  up  —  another  broad- 
side or  two  were  exchanged,  but  the  enemy  showed  no  inclination 
to  renew  the  fight,  and  again  made  her  escape.  The  next 
morning  she  was  discovered  to  be  four  or  five  miles  ahead  ;  but 
a  dead  calm  had  succeeded  the  rain  of  the  night  before,  and 
our  friends,  determined  to  pursue  the  adventure  to  a  close,  rig- 
ged out  the  ship's  long  oars,  and  by  dint  of  hard  rowing  for 


80 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARxNEY. 


two  or  three  hours,  came  up  a  third  time  with  the  foe  —  she  no 
longer  even  attempted  resistance,  but  surrendered  upon  the 
first  summons.  —  The  prize  proved  to  be  an  English  letter  of 
marque  ship,  of  sixteen  guns-2 — nines  and  sixes  —  and  seventy 
men,  a  force  as  exactly  equal  to  that  of  the  American  as  it 
could  well  be,  the  two  additional  guns  of  the  latter,  being  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  superior  weight  in  a  part  of  those  of  the  for- 
mer : —  she  had  twelve  men  killed,  and  several  wounded  ;  but 
independently  of  the  loss  of  men,  she  had  otherwise  suffered 
enough  in  the  first  onset  to  justify  the  reluctance  her  officers 
exhibited  to  renew  the  contest  —  she  was  terribly  cut  to  peices 
in  hull,  spars,  and  rigging.  Our  ship  had  one  man  killed  (a 
young  gentleman  from  Bordeaux,  a  passenger  on  board,)  and 
two  men  wounded. — -The  calm  fortunately  continued  for  three 
days,  which  enabled  them  to  repair  the  damages  of  the  prize 
ship.  Barney  took  command  of  her  ;  and  the  two  ships,  being 
luckily  able  to  continue  in  company  during  the  remainder  of 
the  passage,  arrived  safely  at  Philadelphia  some  time  in  Octo- 
ber, 1779. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


Marriage  of  Lieutenant  Barney.  —  Undertakes  a  commercial  speculation  — visits 
Baltimore:  —  meets  with  a  heavy  loss:  —  his  philosophy  on  the  occasion: 
returns  to  Philadelphia  : — joins  the  Saragota,  and  sails  on  a  cruise  : —  Engage- 
ment with  the  Enemy  :  — Captute  of  four  Vessels  from  the  Enemy  :  —  gallant 
feat  of  Lieutenant  Barney  :  —  he  takes  Command  of  one  <>f  the  cap  urea  ships 

—  capricbusness  of  fortune  : —  he  is  captured  by  an  English  74  : —  infamous 
conduct  of  her  commander  :  —  he  is  taken  'i*o  New  York  :  —  transferred,  with 
other  prisoners  to  the  Yarmouth  74,  and  ordered  for  England  :  —  sufferings 
of  the  prisoners  during  a  long  voyage  : — a  pestilence  breaks  out  among  them 

—  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  of  them  :  —  they  arrive  at  Plymouth  in  a 
6tate  of  dreadful  extremity  : —  are  tried  as  '  traitors  and  rebels,'  and  committed 
to  Mill  Prison. —  Description  of  the  Prison  : — numerous  attempts  male  to 
escape  :  —  Barney  makes  a  friend  of  one  of  the  sentinels  — effects  his  escape 
in  open  d  >y  in  th<*  undress  ol  a  British  officer  :  —  is  kindly  received  and 
entertained  at  the  house  of  a  Clergyman  :  —  meets  with  two  Maryland  friends 

—  they  purchase  a  small  fishing  boat,  and  attempt  to  gain  the  coast  of 
France  : —  pass  the  British  fleet  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  :  — the  friend  taken 
sick,  and  Barney  left  to  manage  the  vessel  alone:  —  boarded  by  a  Guernsey 
Privateer  :  —  his  promptness  and  firmness  of  mind  deceive  the  boarding  offi- 
cer :  — the  captain  of  the  privateer  not  satisfied,  takes  him  back  to  Plymouth 
for  examination:  —  he  escapes  in  the  stern  boat :  —  enters  the  vilageof 
Causen  :  —  is  mistaken  for  a  British  officer  :  —  meeting  with  the  crew  of  the 
Privateer: — Lord  Edgecombe's  gardener: — Barney  meets  with  a  Butcher 
who  puts  him  across  the  river —  regains  the  Clergyman's  house  in  safety. 

A  great  change  was  now  about  to  take  place  in  the  present 
pursuits  and  future  relations  of  Lieutenant  Barney.  His  last 
voyage — the  incidents  of  which,  as  we  have  seen,  were  highly 
honorable  to  all  concerned  —  was  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view, 
the  most  profitable  he  had  ever  made.  The  privilege  of  mer- 
cantile adventure,  allowed  him  as  first  officer,  had  been  judi- 
ciously exercised,  both  on  the  outward  and  return  voyage  ;  and 
the  profit  realized  upon  his  merchandize,  amounted  to  a  consid- 
erable sum  ;  besides  which,  his  share  of  the  valuable  ship  they 
had  captured  was  in  itself  a  rich  possession.  In  short,  he  found 
himself,  upon  the  settlement  of  his  accounts,  master  of  a  hand- 
some little  fortune,  acquired  by  his  own  honorable  toils  and  perils. 
There  was  still  the  same  difficulty  of  obtaining  active  employ- 
ment in  the  navy,  which  had  induced  him  the  year  before  to 
embark  in  the  merchant  service  :  indeed,  there  was  scarcely  a 


82 


MEMOIR  OF 


United  States  vessel  of  any  sort  either  in  the  Delaware  or  Chesa- 
peake, the  few  we  had,  being  divided  between  our  eastern  and 
southern  ports.  He  had  enjoyed  but  little  of  the  society  of  his 
friends  for  the  last  four  years,  and  in  truth  had  seen  but  little 
pleasure  or  relaxation  of  any  kind.  He  determined,  therefore, 
unless  his  country  should  in  the  meantime  require  his  services, 
to  pass  the  winter  in  those  social  enjoyments,  which  his 
age  and  natural  disposition  had  hitherto  vainly  prompted  him  to 
seek,  while  he  thought  his  time  could  be  more  honorably 
and  usefully  employed.  His  name  was  already  sufficiently 
distinguished  to  gain  him  admission  and  a  welcome  in  the  best 
fami  ies,  and  fortune  had  given  him  the  means  of  taking  his 
full  share  in  all  the  fashionable  amusements  of  the   day. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  winter,  he  divided  his  time  very 
fairly  between  his  numerous  relatives  in  Baltimore  and 
1780  the  friends  he  had  early  made  in  Philadelphia  ;  but  in 
a  little  while  the  attractions  of  the  latter  city  proved 
irresistible  —  or  rather,  a  single  object  there  so  entirely  engross- 
ed all  his  faculties,  that  he  had  neither  eye  nor  heart  for  others. 
In  the  course  of  the  winter  he  became  acquainted  with  the  fami- 
ly of  Gunning  Bedford,  Esquire,  a  respectable  Alderman  of 
Philadelphia,  and  was  introduced  to  his  daughter,  a  young  lady 
of  great  beauty  and  personal  accomplishments,  to  whose  fascin- 
ations he  for  the  first  time  '  struck  his  colors,'  and  surrendered 
at  discretion.  —  'None  but  the  brave  deserve  the  fair!'  and 
what  fair  ever  resisted  the  wooing  of  the  brave  particularly  when 
the  possessor  of  that  character  presents  himself  before  her  in  all 
the  freshness  of  youth  and  manly  beauty  !  and  few  men  ever 
possessed  greater  personal  advantages  than  the  subject  of  our 
allusion  ;  this  we  have  no  doubt  will  be  readily  admitted  by 
those  of  our  readers  who  have  seen  him  only  in  '  the  sear  and 
yellow  leaf — in  the  autumn  of  his  life;  while  the  few  who 
can  remember  him  at  the  period  indicated,  will  acquit  us  of  un- 
due partiality  in  the  compliment.  His  suit  to  this  celebrated 
beauty  was  successful ;  and  on  the  16th  of  March,  1780,  being 
not  yet  twentyone,  he  led  Miss  Bedford  to  the  altar,  with  the 
full  approbation  of  her  family.  He  remained  in  Philadelphia 
about  a  month  after  his  marriage,  enjoying  the  '  honey-moon' 
in  a  constant  round  of  those  complimentary  parties,  which  the 
hospitable  citizens  were  in  the  habit  of  giving,  in  the  '  good  old 
times,'  upon  all  such  occasions;  and  then  retired  with  his  bride 
to  the  state  of  Delaware,  where  she  had  a  brother  residing  at 
the  time,  to  whom  they  were  both  affectionately  attached. 

Having  thus  early  in  life   taken  upon  himself  the  cares  of  a 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  83 

family,  prudence  dictated  to  him  the  necessity  of  settling  im- 
mediately in  some  pursuit  which  might  enable  him  to  prepare 
for  his  new  duties,  and  the  calls  that  must  hereafter  be  made 
upon  his  resources.  He  was  strenuously  advised  by  many  of 
his  friends  to  embark  in  a  commercial  speculation  of  some  mag- 
nitude, for  which  the  times  were  just  then  propitious  ;  and  as  he 
had  ample  means  for  it,  and  was  not  averse  to  encounter  either 
hazard  or  labor,  in  the  prosecution  of  any  object  that  promised 
so  fair  a  recompense,  it  was  finally  resolved  that  he  should 
leave  his  young  wife  under  the  protection  of  her  brother,  and 
proceed  alone  to  Baltimore  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  pro- 
posed arrangements.  His  brother-in-law  furnished  him  with  '  a 
horse  and  chair'  —  he  had  his  whole  fortune  with  him,  in  the 
paper  currency  of  the  times,  which  he  deposited  carefully  in 
the  'chair  box  ;'  and  full  of  ardor  for  his  purposed  speculation 
—  as  he  was  for  every  enterprise  he  undertook —  he  gave  the 
first  separation-kiss  to  his  blooming  bride,  and  turned  his  back 
upon  Dover.  He  drove,  of  course,  'like  a  sailor,'  nor  halted 
except  to  refresh  his  horse,  until  he  reached  Chestertown,  in 
Maryland  —  here  he  jumped  out  of  his  '  chair'  at  a  tavern 
door,  and  leaving  it,  box  and  all,  to  be  taken  into  the  stable  yard, 
hurried  down  to  one  of  the  packets  to  bespeak  his  passage  to 
Baltimore  :  having  accomplished  this  object  just  in  the  nick  of 
time,  he  returned  to  the  tavern  to  look  after  his  horse  and  chair, 
which  he  had  promised  to  send  back  to  Dover.  He  met  with 
no  difficulty  in  getting  somebody,  '  for  a  proper  consideration,' 
to  undertake  this  job,  and  taking  out  the  box  —  which  he  had 
not  promised  to  send  back  —  he  '  had  it  carried  on  board  the 
packet,'  where  he  followed  at  his  leisure.  In  due  time  he  ar- 
rived safely  at  Baltimore,  did  not  forget  to  have  the  box  '  carried' 
ashore,  and  when  he  had  at  length  got  himself  snugly  fixed  in 
his  lodging,  it  was  '  quite  natural'  he  should  begin  to  think  of 
his  paper  fortune.  As  he  took  the  key  of  the  box  from  his 
pocket,  and  prepared  to  gaze  upon  the  treasure  which  it  was  his 
purpose  to  send  forth  upon  a  '  recruiting  expedition,'  he  solilo- 
quized somewhat  after  the  following  manner  !  — '  Here  lies  all 
1  am  worth  in  the  world  !  Six  months  ago,  I  thought  it  more 
than  1  should  ever  want —  but  then  I  was  not  a  married  man  — 
now  1  have  a  family  to  provide  for  —  I  know  I  shall  have  a  great 
many  children  —  that  's  not  to  be  doubted  !  and  it  is  my  duty  to 
try  and  do  what  I  can  to  keep  them  from  starving,  after  they 
come  into  this  breathing  world  — let  me  see  !  shall  I  risk  it  all? 
or  shall  I  keep  something  for  a  rainy  day*?  No  —  d — nit, 
that  's  a  cowardly,  beggarly  thought ;  there  's  no  danger,  and  so 


84 


MEMOIR  OF 


here  goes  for  the  whole  !'  —  As  he  concluded  this  brief  com- 
muning with  himself,  he  threw  open  the  lid  of  the  box  —  could 
it  be  his  box  ;  '  Surely  this  is  a  mistake,  and  I  have  opened 
what  does  not  belong  to  me —  no  !  this  is  my   cravat,  and  this 

is  my  shirt,  and '  But  why  should  we  attempt  to  depict  the 

consternation  of  poor  Barney,  when  he  discovered  that  '  not  a 
rag  of  money'  was  to  be  found  in  the  box!  All,  all  was  gone: 
vanished  into  thin  air  !  Continental  money,  it  is  true,  had  not 
been,  for  some  time,  quite  so  good  as  its  promise  :  but  here  was 
a  '  depreciation,'  more  sudden  and  profound  than  any  that  the 
most  timid  broker  or  speculator  would  have  taken  into  his  cal- 
culations !  —  We  believe  we  have  already  said,  that  there  was 
not  a  mercenary  feeling  in  the  whole  character  of  Joshua  Bar- 
ney :  if  other  proof  of  this  were  wanting,  the  carelessness  with 
which  he  entrusted  his  whole  wealth  to  the  honesty  of  unknown 
stable  boys  and  porters,  would  suffice  to  confirm  our  assertion ; 
and  the  readiness  with  which  he  was  enabled  to  reconcile  him- 
self to  his  loss  on  the  present  occasion  would  have  been  beyond 
the  effort  of  any  man  who  loved  money.  He  must  have  been 
more  or  less  than  man,  not  to  have  shown  some  astonishment, 
chagrin,  and  disappointment,  v\hen  he  first  discovered  the  loss 
which  was  certainly,  in  his  peculiar  circumstances,  a  severe  one 
—  it  placed  him  in  an  infinitely  worse  situation  than  lie  had  ever 
been  in  before,  for  he  had  another  now  to  provide  for  as  well 
as  himself;  but  these  feelings  and  reflections  were  of  short  con- 
tinuance, and  ended  in  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  own  negligence  — 
with  a  resolution  to  say  nothing  about  it,  that  nobody  else  might 
laugh  at  him  ! 

Thus  philosophically  determined,  he  returned  immediately 
to  his  wife ;  and  so  heroically  did  he  keep  his  own  secret,  that 
even  she  remained  entirely  ignorant  of  his  loss,  until  long  after 
he  had  made  another  and  a  more  stable  fortune.  From  Dela- 
ware, he  and  his  wife  made  their  way  back  to  Philadelphia ; 
and,  as  it  fortunately  happened,  in  a  few  days  afterwards  he 
was  called  again  into  service,  and  ordered  on  board  the  United 
States  ship  Saratoga,  of  16  nine  pounders,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  John  Young.  The  Saratoga  proceeded  immediate- 
ly to  sea,  and  had  not  been  many  days  on  her  cruising  ground, 
before  she  fell  in  with  an  enemy's  ship  of  12  guns,  (showing  20) 
which  made  battle,  but  was  captured  in  a  few  minutes.  On 
the  following  day,  they  encountered  a  ship  and  two  brigs,  all 
under  enemy's  colors,  and  appearing  to  be  heavily  armed. 
The  captain  of  the  Saratoga,  on  this  occasion,  resorted  to  the 
common  and  justifiable  stratagem   of  hoisting    English  colors, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  85 

under  which  he  ran  up  along  side  of  the  ship,  and  gave  her 
the  customary  hail — she  was  from  Jamaica,  bound  to  New 
York  :  while  the  interlocution  was  going  on,  the  '  Stars  and 
Stripes'  suddenly  mounted  to  the  mast-head  of  the  Saratoga, 
and  her  assumed  badge  at  the  same  moment  fell  upon  the  deck 
—  a  broadside  was  fired,  in  the  smoke  of  which  her  grapnels 
were  thrown  upon  the  enemy,  and  fifty  men,  headed  by  Lieu- 
tenant Barney,  jumped  on  board  :  for  a  few  minutes,  the  conflict 
that  ensued  was  terrible ;  but  the  boarders  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing their  antagonists  from  the  deck,  and  hauling  down  their 
colors  —  they  found  themselves  masters  of  a  ship  carrying 
thirtytwo  guns  and  ninety  men!  The  prisoners  were  quickly 
brought  up  from  below,  and  transferred  to  the  Saratoga  —  Bar- 
ney, with  a  part  of  his  boarders,  remaining  on  board  the  prize. 
The  two  brigs  had  in  the  meantime  attempted  to  escape;  but 
the  Saratoga  soon  came  up  with  the  largest,  carrying  14  guns, 
and  captured  her  after  a  short  resistance  —  the  other  brig,  of 
4  guns,  struck  to  the  prize  ship  without  a  fire. 

Thus,  in  the  course  of  two  days,  did  the  gallant  Saratoga  — 
a  name  of  inauspicious  omen  to  England  — make  herself  mis- 
tress of  two  fine  ships  and  two  brigs,  carrying  sixty'wo  guns 
and  upwards  of  tivo  hundred  men  !  The  prizes  were  all  val- 
uable, being  laden  with  rum  and  sugar  —  two  articles  which 
at  that  time  commanded  an  enormous  price  in  the  United 
States ;  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  purpose  of  fortune  to  compen- 
sate our  intrepid  lieutenant,  for  the  scurvy  trick  she  had  played 
him  with  the  '  chair-box.'  He  already  counted  himself  a 
richer  man  than  he  would  have  been,  even  had  the  fullest  suc- 
cess attended  his  late  baffled  commercial  speculation.  —  But 
who  shall  say  what  a  day  may  bring  forth  !  It  had  been  de- 
termined by  Captain  Young,  to  return  immediately  to  Phila- 
delphia with  his  four  prizes ;  and  Barney  received  his  orders  to 
steer  for  the  Delaware,  with  the  most  joyous  anticipations  at  the 
prospect  of  so  short  an  absence  from  his  beloved  one,  and 
proud,  as  we  may  well  suppose,  at  the  idea  that  he  had  so  com- 
pletely made  up  his  losses.  In  the  course  of  the  first  night,  he 
made  the  discovery  that  his  ship  had  five  feet  water  in  the 
hold  !  and  that  it  was  pouring  into  her  faster  than  all  his  forces 
were  able  to  discharge  it  at  the  pumps  —  it  was  evident  that  a 
shot  from  the  Saratoga  in  their  morning's  work  must  have  given 
her  this  unfortunate  blow  below  the  water.  He  made  the 
signal  of  distress  to  his  commander,  and  received  such  as- 
sistance as  enabled  him  to  free  the  ship  by  daylight  the  next 
morning —  but  that  daylight  discovered  to  him  a  more  ruthless 
8 


36 


MEMOIR  OP 


foe  than  the  water  !  A  ship  of  the  line  and  several  frigates 
were  in  full  chase,  and  before  many  hours  had  elapsed,  he  was 
a  prisoner  on  board  the  Intrepid,  seventyfour,  whose  com- 
mander, Anthony  James  Pye  Malloy,  Esquire,  he  has  character- 
ized as  '  the  greatest  tyrant  in  the  British  Navy  !' 

The  Saratoga  was  so  fortunate  as  to  make  her  escape  from 
this  overwhelming  force,  but  all  her  prizes  fell  into  the  enemy's 
hands.*  What  a  reverse  was  this  to  the  buoyant  hopes,  and 
happy  reveries,  of  yesterday  !  But  such  is  the  fortune  of  war. 
—  The  treatment  which  Lieutenant  Barney  received  on  board 
the  Intrepid,  was  barbarous  and  cruel  in  the  extreme — during 
the  whole  passage  to  New  York  he  was  kept  on  the  poop,  with 
no  shelter  from  the  weather  ;  in  this  situation,  he  was  exposed 
to  the  severities  of  a  cold  snow  storm,  of  several  days'  continu- 
ance, without  clothes  or  bedding  !  Such  was  the  treatment  he  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  Captain  Anthony  James  Pye  Malloy ; 
and  we  venture  to  say,  the  reader  would  scarcely  have  blamed 
him,  if  he  had  added  to  his  character  of  him,  the  epithets  of 
vindictive,  cowardly,  and  mean. 

He  was  kept  on  board  the  Intrepid  for  some  time  after  her 
arrival  at  New  York  ;  but  was  at  length,  in  December,  1780, 
by  order  of  Admiral  Rodney,  put  on  board  the  Yarmouth,  74, 
with  seventy  other  American  officers,  to  be  transported  to  Eng- 
land—  where,  as  their  magnanimous  enemies  whispered  into 
their  ears,  they  were  '  to  be  hanged  as  rebels  /'  It  is  difficult  to 
depict  in  adequate  colors  the  distressed  and  suffering  condition 
of  these  American  officers,  on  board  the  Yarmouth.  They 
were  confined  in  the  hold  of  the  ship,  under  five  decks  —  and 
consequently  at  least  thirty  feet  under  water  —  in  a  dungeon, 
the  area  of  which  was  twelve  feet  by  twenty,  and  its  height  three 
feet  —  without  light,  and  almost  without  air  —  where  they  were 
necessarily  compelled  to  remain  always  in  a  bent  or  recumbent 
posture.  Their  food  was  not  only  of  the  worst  quality,  but 
supplied  in  such  insufficient  quantity,  that  whenever  one  of  their 
comrades  died  —  which  unhappily  but  too  frequently  occurred — 
in  order  that  the  survivors  might  enjoy  the  benefit  of  a  surplus 
ration,  they  carefully  concealed  his  death,  until  the  body  became 
too  offensively  putredinous  to  be  longer  supported  !  They  were 
fifty  three  days,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  on  the  passage  from 
1781     New  York  to  Plymouth,  thus  confined  and  treated  —  the 

*A  revolutionary  worthy,  in  a  letter  to  Maj.  Wm.  B.  Barney,  speaking  of 
the  fact  of  Lieut.  B.'s  being  put  on  board  one  of  these  prizes,  says  it  was  '  a 
circumstance  that  preserved  him  for  future  service,  as  the  Saratoga  and  her 
drew  perished  at  sea,  unheard  of.' 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


87 


water  was  measured  out  to  them  with  even  more  parsimony 
than  the  food,  and  so  thick  with  animalcules  was  it,  that  they 
could  only  drink  it  through  their  closed  teeth  !  In  addition  to 
their  accumulated  miseries,  a  pestilence  broke  out  among  them 

—  but  even  this  excited  no  sympathy  or  commiseration  in  the 
s  noble  hearted  Britons,'  their  jailors  :  eleven  of  their  number 
perished  by  the  fever,  generated  by  the  confined  air  and  gather- 
ed filth  of  their  dungeon,  every  one  of  whom  suffered  incon- 
ceivable agonies  in  the  progress  of  the  disease,  and  died  in  a 
state  of  rabid  delirium  —  not  only  without  an  effort  on  the  part 
of  their  jailors  to  relieve  them,  but  without  so  much  as  a  visit 
from  a  surgeon!  —  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  writer  of 
these  pages,  has  taken  the  liberty  to  '  set  down  aught'  in  aggra- 
vation of  the  treatment  here  depicted  — so  far  from  feeling  a 
pleasure  in  opening  anew  the  rancorous  sores  that  so  long  fes- 
tered between  two  nations  of  the  same  kindred  and   language 

—  and  which  it  is  sincerely  hoped  are  now  forever  healed  — the 
writer  would  willingly  have  suppressed  the  whole  scene,  if  it  could 
have  been  done  consistently  with  the  obligations  of  biographi- 
cal truth.  What  is  here  detailed  is  given,  without  adornment 
or  exaggeration,  almost  in  the  very  words  of  one,  who  saw,  and 
suffered,  just  as  he  has  described.  We  have  seen  on  several 
occasions,  how  ready  he  was  to  speak  well  of  his  enemy,  when 
he  met  with  one  who  deserved  it —  let  us  then  do  him  the  justice 
to  believe  that  he  would,  on  no  occasion,  speak  ill  of  the  same 
enemy,  unless  compelled  to  do  so  by  a  sacred  regard  for  truth. 

On  their  arrival  at  Plymouth,  the  survivors  of  these  wretch- 
ed American  officers,  pale,  emaciated,  feeble  and  suffering  un- 
der a  loathsome  phthiriasis,  were  ordered  upon  deck  —  what  a 
spectacle  for  the  eye  of  a  brave,  magnanimous,  and  highmind- 
ed  enemy  !  Not  one  of  them  was  able  to  stand  erect  —  many 
of  them  were  unable  to  stand  at  all  —  and  the  effect  of  the 
sudden  light  of  day  — •  from  which  they  had  been  excluded  for 
fiftythree  days  —  upon  their  weak  and  dilated  pupils,  is  descri- 
bed by  Lieutenant  Barney  as  being  '  insufferably  severe.'  They 
were  immediately  removed  to  a  prison-ship  in  Plymouth  Roads, 
which,  crowded,  dirty,  and  disagreeable  as  it  actually  was,  ap- 
peared a  paradise  to  them,  in  comparison  with  what  they  had 
left.  Here,  with  the  blessing  of  Providence,  and  the  effect  of  a 
freer  air  upon  youth  and  good  constitutions,  they  gradually  re- 
covered health  and  strength,  to  bear  the  further  ills  in  store  for 
them.  As  soon  as  they  had  acquired  sufficient  force  to  walk, 
without  leaning  upon  each  other,  they  were  taken  ashore,  under 
a  strong  military  guard,  and  marched  before  a  certain  tribunal 


88 


MEMOIR  OF 


—  whether  composed  of  civil  or  martial  judges,  they  were  not 
informed  —  by  which  they  were  asked  sundry  absurd  and  in- 
sulting questions,  touching  their  '  revolt,'  and  the  '  allegiance' 
they  owed  to  His  most  Gracious  Majesty ;  and  were  then  com- 
mitted to  Mill  Prison,  as  '  rebels.'  Within  the  walls  of  this 
strong  hold,  they  found  between  two  and  three  hundred  of  their 
unfortunate  countrymen  alreadv  incarcerated. 

'  Mill  Prison'  was  situated  in  the  centre  of  an  extensive  court, 
surrounded  by  high,  double  walls  with  an  area  of  twenty  feet 
between  them.  Numerous  sentinels  were  posted,  not  only 
among  the  prisoners  within  the  building  and  court,  but  in  the 
area  between  the  surrounding  walls,  and  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  outer  wall.  The  gates  in  the  two  walls  were  placed 
over  against  each  other;  the  upper  one  was  formed  of  an  iron 
paling  eight  feet  high  ;  the  lower  one  stood  open  for  the  most 
part  all  day,  in  order  to  allow  free  communication  with  the 
keeper  of  the  prison,  whose  office  stood  in  the  area.  From 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  sunset,  the  prisoners  were 
allowed  the  freedom  of  the  court  yard.  We  have  been  thus 
particular  in  describing  the  position  and  defences  of  this  place, 
that  our  readers  may  the  better  understand  and  appreciate  the 
boldness  that  could  attempt  and  overcome  such  obstacles  of 
strength  and  vigilance.  Many  of  the  prisoners,  at  various 
times,  by  a  series  of  patient,  arduous,  and  long  continued  toils, 
which  if  detailed  in  a  romance  would  be  regarded  as  incredi- 
ble, succeeded  in  delivering  themselves  from  this  incarceration. 
On  one  occasion,  several  of  them  volunteered,  as  pioneers,  to 
make  trial  of  the  common  sewer,  which,  at  a  considerable  depth 
under  ground,  emptied  itself  into  the  river  :  even  to  get  into 
this  nauseous  receptacle  required  an  unremitted  labor  of  several 
days  and  nights,  by  sawing  iron  bars,  and  boring  into  solid  stone. 
It  was  agreed  that  if  the  pioneers  did  not  return  after  the  laspe 
of  a  certain  time,  others  might  follow,  taking  it  for  granted  that 
the  first  had  been  successful.  They  had  supposed  that  all  the 
obstructions  in  the  sewer  would  be  met  within  the  walls,  and  that 
having  once  overcome  these,  their  egress  to  the  river  would  be 
free;  but  alas!  after  wading  several  hundred  feet,  nearly  up  to 
their  knees  in  this  loathsome  subterranean  stream,  they  found  their 
course  unexpectedly  impeded  by  a  double  iron  grating,  which 
neither  their  strength  nor  ingenuity  could  remove  ;  and  they 
were  compelled  to  return,  more  dead  than  alive,  from  breathing 
so  long  the  horrible  atmosphere  of  this  foul  passnge.  —  Many 
of  these  attempts  were  discovered  and  frustrated  at  the  mo- 
ment when  fortune  seemed  most  propitious,  and  the  culprits 
were  always  severely  punished. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  89 

Lieutenant  Barney,  whose  bold,  undaunted  bearing,  intrepid 
courage,  and  ready  wit,  rendered  him  a  constant  object  of 
suspicion  to  his  jailors,  was  on  one  occasion  punished  for  a 
suspected  attempt  —  for,  though  in  fact  he  was  the  mover  of 
the  plot,  there  was  no  proof  to  convict  him  —  by  confinement 
in  a  solitary  dungeon  for  thirty  days,  in  heavy  double  irons. 
When  again  restored  to  the  common  liberty  of  the  yard,  where 
the  prisoners  were  in  the  daily  habit  of  exercising  themselves 
in  various  athletic  games,  he  affected  to  have  sprained  his  ancle 
in  jumping  at  '  leap-frog,'  had  it  bathed  and  bandaged,  and 
for  a  long  time  was  unable  to  walk  without  crutches.  A  few 
only  of  his  confidential  fellow-prisoners  were  aware  of  the 
stratagem  :  the  suspicions  of  his  jailors,  were  for  a  time  effect- 
ually lulled,  and  he  made  his  arrangements  without  interruption. 
—  Among  the  soldiers  who  guarded  the  prison,  there  was  one 
who  had  served  in  the  United  States,  and  who,  from  some  in- 
stances of  remembered  kindness  which  he  had  there  experienc- 
ed, delighted  in  showing  civility  to  the  American  prisoners. 
Barney,  whose  faculties  were  always  awake,  had  early  dis- 
covered this  soldier,  and  penetrated  the  grateful  trait  in  his 
character,  which  he  resolved  to  turn  to  account.  He  contrived 
to  hold  several  conversations  with  him,  and  by  degrees  made  a 
warm  friend  of  him.  On  the  18th  of  May,  1781,  it  was  the 
turn  of  this  friendly  soldier  to  mount  guard,  between  the  two 
gates  already  described  —  his  hours  were  from  noon  till  2 
o'clock.  Barney,  who  was  hobbling  about  upon  his  crutches, 
moved  towards  the  gate  to  speak  to  his  friend  through  the  pal- 
ing—  he  whispered,  interrogatively,  '  Today?'  —  the  soldier 
replied  in  the  same  low  tone,  '  Dinner ! ' — Barney  instantly 
comprehended  his  meaning  —  one  o'clock  was  the  hour  at 
which  the  jailor,  and  every  body  but  the  sentinels,  took  their 
dinners.  He  retired  to  his  room  ;  equipped  himself  in  the  un- 
dress uniform  of  an  English  officer,  which  he  had  provided 
for  the  occasion  ;  threw  over  all  his  old  great  coat,  (in  which 
he  had  been  dressed  all  the  morning)  to  avoid  the  notice  of  the 
inner  sentinels;  and  then  sought  his  confidential  friends,  whose 
assistance  would  still  be  indispensable  to  success  :  some  of  these 
undertook  to  keep  the  sentinels,  at  certain  posts,  in  parley;  and 
one  of  them,  (a  lad  of  such  slender  dimensions  that  he  could 
creep  through  his  window  bars  at  pleasure,)  in  order  that  his 
absence  might  be  the  longer  unsuspected,  was,  after  answering 
to  his  own  name  at  roll-call  in  his  room,  to  crawl  through  the 
window  and  answer  for  Barney  in  the  yard  :  —  another  of  his 
friends,  a  tall,  stout  man,  had  already  taken  his  station  near  the 
8* 


90  MEMOIR  OF 

gate.  Thus  prepared  at  all  points,  our  bold  adventurer  de- 
scended into  the  court ;  he  reached  the  gate  without  challenge  ; 
interchanged  a  wink  with  the  soldier,  which  satisfied  him  that 
now  was  the  accepted  time ;  and  springing,  with  the  agility  of 
a  cat,  upon  the  shoulders  of  his  tall  fellow-prisoner,  who  stood 
ready  for  the  purpose,  was  in  a  moment  over  the  barrier,  and 
safe  upon  his  feet  :  he  threw  his  great  coat  from  him  as  he 
lighted  upon  the  ground  ;  thrust  four  guineas  into  the  hand  of 
his  blind  friend,  the  soldier,  as  he  passed  him  ;  and  walking 
boldly  through  the  outer  gate,  without  even  being  seen  by  its 
careless  guardian,  whose  back  was  towards  the  prison,  was  in 
ten  minutes  safe,  in  the  house  of  a  well  known  friend  to  the 
American  cause,  in  Plymouth  ! 

The  unannounced  intrusion  of  a  British  officer  into  such  a 
house,  was  serious  cause  of  alarm  to  its  disaffected  inmates; 
and  this  alarm,  though  it  took  a  different  course,  was  not  much 
lessened,  when  our  run-away  explained  his  disguise,  and  the 
nature  of  his  situation.  It  was  a  perilous  thing  to  protect  an 
escaped  prisoner,  amounting  to  no  less  than  high  treason  ;  but 
it  was  a  peril  which  this  generous  family,  without  hesitation, 
determined  to  run,  and  Lieutenant  Barney  was  welcomed  with 
the  same  kindness  and  hospitality  which  they  had,  on  all  occa- 
sions, shown  towards  the  Americans,  whether  prisoners  or  free. 
He  was  concealed  during  the  day  ;  but,  contrary  to  their  fears 
and  expectations,  no  inquiry  was  made  for  him,  nor  did  there 
appear  any  indication,  about  the  town  or  prison,  that  his  escape 
had  been  discovered.  In  the  evening  he  was  taken  by  this 
amiable  family  to  the  house  of  their  father,  a  venerable  clergy- 
man of  Plymouth,  where  they  well  knew  he  would  be  safer 
than  with  them,  and  treated  with  equal  kindness.  At  the  house 
of  this  respectable  and  christian  minister  of  the  gospel,  which 
in  common  with  that  of  the  son  was  the  hospitable  resort  of  all 
the  Americans  whom  the  fortune  of  war  or  inclination  brought 
to  Plymouth,  Lieutenant  Barney  had  the  unexpected  gratifica- 
tion of  meeting  with  two  friends  from  his  native  state  —  Col- 
onel William  Richardson,  and  Doctor  Hindman,  both  of  the 
eastern  shore  of  Maryland.  They  had  been  captured  a  short 
time  before  —  or  to  speak  more  correctly,  for  they  were  not 
made  prisoners,  a  vessel  in  which  they  happened  to  be  passen- 
gers fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  —  and  they  were  now 
anxiously  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  return  to  the  United 
States.  In  this  object  they  had  been  hitherto  entirely  unsuccess- 
ful, and  the  meeting  with  Barney  was  regarded  as  the  only 
auspicious  incident  that  occurred  in  their  search  —  for  they 


COMMODOltE  BARNEY. 


91 


both  had  the  most  unlimited  confidence  in  his  promptitude  of 
resource  and  energy  of  character.  He  at  once  proposed  to 
the  two  gentlemen  to  purchase  a  small  fishing  vessel,  and 
leave  all  the  rest  to  him.  This  was  done,  without  even  putting 
a  question  to  him  as  to  the  feasibility  of  his  plan ;  and  in  three 
or  four  days  everything  was  prepared  as  he  directed — the 
two  friends  were  advised  to  take  up  their  lodgings  on  board  the 
vessel  over  night,  leaving  their  servant  to  follow  with  him  in  the 
morning.  —  With  the  single  assistance  of  this  servant,  an  Ameri- 
can, it  was  his  design  to  navigate  the  little  vessel,  and  make  his 
way  with  her  to  the  coast  of  France,  where,  if  they  should  he 
fortunate  enough  to  arrive,  all  difficulties  would  of  course  be 
at  an  end  ;  but  it  would  never  do  to  play  the  fisherman  in  an 
English  officer's  undress  uniform  —  Ire  had  thrown  away  his 
old  great  coat  on  clearing  the  prison  gate,  and  had  given  away 
the  last  guinea  he  had  to  his  friend  the  sentinel.  He  question- 
ed the  servant  —  were  there  no  old  cover-alls  among  his 
master's  baggage?  —  O  yes,  the  very  thing!  He  made  this 
man,  who  was  to  play  buen  camarado,  equip  himself  in  the 
coarsest  and  most  tattered  apparel  his  wardrobe  furnished, 
while  he,  with  his  '  fear-nothing'  great  coat,  tied  around  the 
middle  with  an  old  rope's  end,  and  a  tarpaulin  hat,  and  a 
1  knowing  tie'  upon  the  black  silk  handkerchief  around  his  neck, 
looked  the  Poissonnicr  complete.  He  had  now  to  take  leave 
of  his  kind  and  excellent  friends,  which  he  did  with  a  tear  of 
heartfelt  gratitude,  and  by  the  earliest  peep  of  dawn,  he  and 
his  humble  comrade  were  on  board  the  little  vessel. 

When  it  is  understood  that  Admiral  Digby  lay  with  a  large 
fleet  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  through  which  our  fishermen 
must  pass  before  they  could  get  to  sea  —  that  there  was,  at 
least,  a  strong  probability,  that  the  escape  of  Barney  from  pri- 
son must  have  been  long  since  discovered,  notwithstanding  the 
promise  of  his  friend  '  Slender'  to  answer  the  roll-call,  and  if 
discovered  made  known  to  the  fleet  —  that  the  least  unusual 
appearance  in  his  assumed  character  would  excite  suspicion, 
and  lead  to  the  examination  of  his  vessel  —  and  that,  passing 
the  fleet  in  safety,  he  had  yet  to  encounter  the  numerous  crui- 
sers that  were  constantly  plying  in  the  British  Channel,  —  and 
to  crown  all,  that  there  was  not  a  man  on  board  but  himself  who 
had  ever  handled  a  rope  or.  knew  what  it  was  to  *  hand,  reef 
or  steer,'  in  the  language  of  the  song  :  —  this  attempt  of  Lieu- 
tenant Barney  may  be  regarded,  as  even  more  daring  and  ad- 
venturous, than  that  by  which  he  delivered  himself  from  bond- 
age a  few  days  before.     The  chances  in  both  cases  were  a 


92 


MEMOIR  OP 


thousand  to  one  against  him,  and  in  the  present,  if  retaken,  he 
had  every  reason  to  believe  his  life  would  be  the  forfeit.  His 
two  friends  were  almost  as  adventurous  as  himself;  they  not 
only  jeoparded  the  liberty  which  had  been  hitherto  allowed 
them,  but  ran  the  hazard  of  being  treated  as  accessaries  to  the 
escape  of  a  prisoner :  it  may  be  well  believed,  that  their  confi- 
dence in  their  young  countrymen  was  '  unlimited.' 

They  were  under  way  before  sunrise.  Barney's  orders  to 
the  two  gentlemen  to  '  keep  snug  below,'  were  faithfully  obey- 
ed, and  the  two  fishermen  appeared  to  be  the  only  tenants  of 
the  smack.  A  fine  breeze  wafted  them  swiftly  along  the  rece- 
ding tide,  and  in  a  little  while  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  hos- 
tile fleet :  the  '  skipper,'  as,  with  seeming  unconcern,  he  steered 
his  little  bark  through  the  fearful  array,  bent  upon  them  a  look 
of  anxious  interest  —  his  experienced  eye  could  detect  no  sign 
of  awakened  suspicion  —  he  passed  the  last  ship,  unquestioned, 
unnoticed,  and  began  to  breathe  more  freely  ;  —  we  say,  to 
breathe  more  freely,  for  the  stoutest  heart  that  ever  beat  in  a 
human  bosom,  could  not  have  passed  such  a  scene,  under  such 
circumstances,  without  being  sensible  of  a  quicker  play  of  the 
lungs  and  an  accelerated  pulsation  of  the  arteries.  He  pulled 
off  his  tarpaulin,  and  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  face  — 
1  Thank  God  !  we  are  safe  through  that''  —  said  he,  calling  to 
his  friends  below.  But  these  friends  were  unhappily  not  in  a 
condition  to  join  in  the  thanksgiving,  either  on  their  own  ac- 
count or  his  :  they  were  in  the  first  paroxysm  of  that  most 
horrible,  most,  emasculating,  and  least  commiserated,  of  all  hu- 
man sufferings,  the  '  seasickness.'  —  Receiving  no  response  to 
his  exclamation,  Barney  supposed  they  were  asleep,  and  began 
to  feel  a  little  vexed  at  their  want  of  sensibility  to  the  perils  of 
their  situation.  He  called  out  again.  'Below!  there!'  — 
1  Oh  !  oh  !  oh,  my  !  ah  !  augh  !  ugh  ! '  — '  What 's  the  matter, 
Colonel  ? —  What  ?  are  you  at  it  too,  Doctor  ? '  —  '  A — h ! 
O — h  !  u — gh  ! '  in  all  the  various  tones  and  semitones  of  the 
gamut,  were  the  only  replies  he  could  get  •  from  below  ! '  — 
What  sailor  ever  pitied  the  oceanic  nausea  of  a  landsman  !  We 
have  seen  dozens  at  a  time  of  these  poor,  suffering,  agonized 
creatures,  straining  their  very  lives  out,  while  hundreds  of 'gen- 
erous tars'  were  standing  by,  'enjoying  the  Jun9  and  laughing 
with  as  much  gusto  as  if  it  were  really  a  farce  got  up  solely  for 
their  amusement!  —  Barney  called  to  his  'brother-fisher- 
man' on  deck  :  '  Jem  !  go  cut  your  master  a  piece  of  that  fat 
pork  —  it's  a  sovereign  remedy  in  these  cases  ! '  —  But  '  Jem,' 
was  lying  flat  upon  the  deck  with  his  head  in  the  scuppers  — 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  93 

following  the  example  of  his  master;  and  our  skipper  found 
himself  as  much  alone  in  the  vessel  as  if  his  companions  had 
actually  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

In  this  situation,  and  while  he  was  still  smiling  at  the  scene 
before  him,  and  anticipating  that,  if  the  wind  continued  a  few 
hours  more  as  favorable  as  it  now  was,  he  would  reach  the 
coast  of  France  without  wanting  assistance  from  his  prostrated 
companions,  he  descried  a  sail  at  a  distance,  which  his  quick 
and  practised  eye  enabled  him  to  decide  at  once  to  be  steering 
upon  his  truck.  He  was  not  deceived  —  in  less  than  an  hour, 
the  vessel  was  along  side  of  him,  and  a  boat  with  an  officer 
came  on  board.  Now  was  the  time  for  that  coolness  and  de- 
cision, that  energy  and  promptitude  of  resource  in  danger,  in 
which  his  friends  so  confidently  trusted.  Forcible  resistance 
was  out  of  the  question  :  firmness  of  mind,  and  mother-wit 
might  save  him — nothing  else  could.  The  boarding  vessel 
was  a  Guernsey  privateer — the  officer  who  was  sent  to  exam- 
ine him,  demanded  what  he  had  on  board,  and  whither  he  was 
bound  ?  — 

*  I  have  nothing  on  board  —  and  am  bound  to  the  coast  of 
France,'  answered  Barney,  to  the  astonishment  of  his  ques- 
tioner. 

'Your  business  there? '  demanded  the  other. 

'  I  cannot  disclose  to  you  my  business,'  untying  the  rope  that 
confined  the  old  coat  around  him  as  he  spoke,  and  carelessly 
opening  to  the  view  of  the  examiner  the  British  half  uniform, 
in  which  he  was  dressed.  The  sight  of  it  had  an  instant  effect 
upon  the  privateersman,  who  touched  his  hat  and  became  very 
polite.  Barney  saw  his  advantage,  and  continued  in  a  firm 
and  authoritative  tone  —  'Sir,  I  must  not  be  detained;  my 
business  is  urgent  —  and  you  must  suffer  me  to  proceed,  or  you 
will,  perhaps,  find  cause  to  regret  it ! ' 

The  boarding  officer  very  obsequiously  replied,  that  he  would 
return  to  the  privateer,  and  report  to  the  captain.  So  far, 
then,  everything  prospered,  and  there  was  still  hope  :  if  the 
captain  should  prove  to  be  as  complaisant  and  unsuspicious  as 
his  officer,  he  would  escape  —  and  escape,  too,  by  having  given 
the  literal  truth  in  reply  to  his  interrogator !  —  But  we  must  not 
anticipate  ;  the  captain  of  the  privateer  himself  came  on  board 
upon  the  report  of  his  officer,  and  though  equally  civil  was  rath- 
er more  experienced  in  the  arts  of  'overhauling.'  He  desired 
to  know  the  business  which  could  carry  a  British  officer,  thus 
inadequately  attended,  to  the  enemy's  coast  — '  I  should  be  very 
sorry  to  stop  you,  sir,'  said  he,  '  if  you  are  on  public  business  ; 


94  MEMOIR  OP 

but  if  this  be  the  fact,  it  must  surely  be  in  your  power  to  give 
me  some  proof  of  it,  without  disclosing  the  secrets  of  govern- 
ment —  which  1  have  no  desire  to  know.'  —  Barney  foresaw  at 
once  that  this  was  the  preface  to  a  much  closer  scrutiny  than  it 
would  be  possible  for  him  to  sustain,  but  he  nevertheless  an- 
swered very  promptly,  and  very  truly,  to  the  remark  of  the 
privateer-captain,  that,  to  show  him  such  proof  as  he  required, 
would  be  to  put  at  hazard  the  whole  success  of  his  enterprise, 
which  depended  upon  its  being  carefully  guarded  from  the 
knowledge  of  all  but  those  entrusted  with  its  execution. 

'  Then,  sir,  I  shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  carrying  you  to 
England,'  said  the  pertinacious  inquisitor. 

*  Do  as  you  please,  sir,'  replied  Barney,  with  a  calmness  of 
manner  which  he  was  far  from  feeling  — '  but  remember,  it 
is  at  your  peril.  All  I  have  further  to  say,  sir,  is,  that  if  you  per- 
sist in  interrupting  my  voyage,  I  must  demand  of  you  to  carry 
me  directly  on  board  of  Admiral  Digby's  ship  at  Plymouth.' 

This  was  the  last  bold  stroke  of  our  lieutenant  — he  thought 
it  not  improbable  that  the  privateersman  would  be  afraid  to  ven- 
ture among  the  fleet,  lest  he  might  lose  his  men  by  impress- 
ment and  that,  rather  than  comply  with  such  a  demand,  he  would 
be  induced  to  look  upon  it  as  satisfactorily  removing  all  ground 
of  suspicion.  He  did  in  truth  appear  to  deliberate  for  a  few 
moments,  and  Barney  endeavored  to  fasten  the  hint  in  his  mind 
by  praising  the  neat,  sailor-like  appearance  of  his  boafs  crew. 
But  it  was  all  in  vain  — the  fates  were  against  him,  and  he  was 
once  more  a  prisoner.  Night  was  now  coming  on  :  the  captain 
of  the  privateer  left  an  officer  and  two  men  on  board  the  smack, 
and  giving  them  orders  to  follow  him  to  Plymouth,  returned  to 
his  own  vessel. 

If  his  companions  had  not  been  so  utterly  helpless  from  the 
enervating  effects  of  their  seasickness,  it  might  have  been  easily 
in  their  power  to  have  retaken  the  vessel  from  the  small  force 
left  on  board  ;  but  such  an  idea,  under  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  was  not  to  be  thought  of,  and  Barney  submitted 
quietly  to  his  destiny.  They  were  all  night  in  beating  back  to 
the  English  coast,  and  on  the  following  morning  entered  a  small 
bay  about  two  leagues  from  Plymouth,  where  the  privateer  and 
her  prize  came  to  anchor.  The  captors  still  continued  to  treat 
their  prisoner  with  the  respect  due  to  his  buttons,  but  seemed 
entirely  at  a  loss  how  to  comprehend  his  assumed  character. 
Leaving  him  and  his  companions  on  board  the  privateer,  her 
captain  went  off  in  his  boat  to  make  his  report  to  the  admiral 
—  a  report  which  we  doubt  not  that  officer  was  as  little  able 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  95 

to  comprehend  as  the  individual  who  framed  it.  Soon  after 
the  privateer's  man's  departure,  nearly  all  his  men  went  ashore, 
on  pretence  of  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  press-gangs,  so  that 
the  privateer  was  left  with  only  one  officer  and  three  or  four 
men. 

Barney's  friends,  who  had  by  this  time  recovered  sufficiently 
to  have  a  full  preception  of  their  critical  situation,  began  to  ex- 
press considerable  uneasiness  — they  anticipated  a  long  incar- 
ceration, if  nothing  worse,  as  abettors  of  his  attempt  to  escape, 
and  would  willingly  have  compounded  for  their  liberty  with  the 
loss  of  their  vessel,  and  a  few  hundreds  to  the  boot.  Barney 
had  no  consolation  to  offer  them  —  in  truth  his  thoughts  were 
otherwise  occupied  :  he  was  concocting  a  plan  for  his  own  escape ; 
which  he  well  knew  would  prevent  his  countrymen  from  com- 
ing to  any  harm,  provided  they  kept  their  own  counsel  —  they 
were  not  prisoners,  and  unless  he  should  be  found  in  their 
company,   it  was  not  likely  they  would  be   detained  a  moment 

—  as  to  their  present  fretting,  it  was  not  worth  a  thought.  He 
walked  the  deck,  with  the  air  of  one  who  commanded  it,  rather 
than  as  one  whose  life  was  in  jeopardy,  and  affecting  at  length  to 
be  tired,  threw  himself  carelessly  along  the  stern  board,  and  slept 
— or  seemed  to  sleep.  »\s  the  dinner  hour  approached,  the 
few  of  the  privateer's  men  who  were  not  snoring  on  the  deck 
were  busily  preparing  their  several  messes,  and  his  presence  on 
board  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten  —  the  small  boat  of  the 
privateer  hung  at  her  stern  by  the  tow-rope  —  he  slipped  down 
into  it,  (with  no  other  accident  than  rubbing  a  little  of  the  skin 
from  one  of  his  shins,)  cut  the  rope,  and  sculled  himself  ashore  — 
to  the  very  spot  where  the  men  from  the  privateer  had  landed 
in  the  morning  !  This  was  a  small  town,  or  village  called  Cau- 
sen,  from  the  name  of  the  bay. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  not  a  man  on  board  the  privateer  saw 
him,  or  became  aware  of  his  escape  until  he  was  beyond  their 
reach.  He  would  probably  not  have  landed  exactly  at  that 
point,  if  he  could  have  had  his  choice;  but  the  wind  blew 
strong  upon  it,  and  he  had  no  help  for  it.  As  he  approached 
the  shore  several  of  the  lounging  inhabitants  came  to  meet  him, 
and  among  them  a  custom-house  officer  ;  he  jumped  boldly  out 
of  his  boat,  and  called  upon  some  of  those  who  stood  by  to 
*  lend  him  a  hand  to  haul  her  up  on  the  beach'  —  ay  !  ay  ! 
sir,'  was  the  ready  answer.  '  Where  did  you  catch  her  ? ' 
asked   the  custom-house    officer,  *  what  has  she   got  aboard  ?  * 

—  But  for  the  hurt  on  his  shin,  which  was  actually  bleeding 
through  his  stocking,  and  fortunately  served  him  as  good  excuse 


96  MEMOIR  OF 

for  being  in  haste  '  to  get  something  to  it,'  these  questions  must 
soon  have  led  to  the  discovery  that  he  was  not  what  the  good 
people  took,  him  for,  an  officer  of  the  privateer  :  he  was  suffer- 
ed, therefore,  to  proceed,  after  showing  his  leg,  without  further 
annoyance.  Before  he  moved  on,  however,  he  bowed  to  the 
great  man  of  the  village,  the  custom-house  officer,  and  said  — 
'  Pray,  sir,  can  you  tell  me  where  our  people  are? '  —  'I  think, 
sir,  vou'll  find  them  all  at  the  Red  Lion,  the  very  last  house  in 
the  village  ! '  — 'Thank  you,  sir,  I  wish  you  a  very  good  morn- 
ing,' and  off  marched  our  daring  countryman,  with  a  quick 
step,  but  a  heart  by  no  means  at  ease.  He  found  himself  com- 
pelled to  pass  the  tavern  indicated,  for  there  was  no  other  road 
out  of  the  village  —  he  turned  the  corner,  as  he  thought  unper- 
ceived  :  but  the  moment  afterwards,  a  sailor  hailed  him  — 
1  Holloa  !  lieutenant !  I'm  glad  you  're  come  ashore  —  we  was 
jist  a  thinking  some  on  us  to  go  off  arter  you.'  —  '  And  what  for, 
pray?'  asked  the  lieutenant,  not  without  some  misgivings. 
1  Why,  may  be  as  how  some  on  us  might  ship,  if  we  knowed  a 
thing  or  two.'  Barney  saw  directly  that  his  story  had  gained 
full  credit  with  the  sailors,  and  that  he  was  still  believed  to  be  a 
British  officer.  He  continued  to  walk  on,  endeavoring  to  hold 
the  man  in  conversation,  unul  they  had  left  the  town  some  dis- 
tance behind  them  —  the  sailor  made  a  pause,  and  asked  where 
he  was  going  ?  — To  Plymouth  ;  come  you  might  as  well  go  along 
with  me.'  — The  tar  hesitated  a  moment,  he  had  not  quite  made 
up  his  mind  yet,  he  said,  and  may  be  if  the  lieutenant  got  him 
to  Plymouth,  he  might  keep  him  there  —  he  believed,  on  the 
whole  he  would  go  back  to  the  privateer;  and  wishing  a  pleasant 
walk  to  the  lieutenant,  he  turned  about  to  retrace  his  steps  to  the 
village. 

No  sooner  was  this  good  natured  tar  out  of  sight,  than  our  wan- 
derer began  to  quicken  his  steps  into  a  run,  lest  he  might  be 
overhauled  by  others  of  the  gang  not  so  easily  to  be  duped. 
Deeming  it  advisable  to  quit  the  highway  as  speedily  as  possible, 
he  jumped  over  a  hedge,  and  found  himself  in  an  elegant  park; 
he  traversed  this,  passed  near  a  superb  chateau,  and  at  length 
made  his  way  into  a  large  and  beautifully  decorated  garden, 
where  he  thought  he  might  find  some  sequestered  spot  to  repose 
himself  for  a  few  minutes,  for  he  began  not  only  to  feel  ex- 
cessively fatigued,  but  to  suffer  considerable  pain  from  the 
wound  on  his  leg.  The  garden,  however,  was  not  without 
its  proper  guardian.'  In  entering  one  of  its  numerous  bowers 
he  stumbled  upon  the  old  gardener,  who  looked  as  much  aston- 
ished at  the   intrusion  as   if  he  had  dropped   from  the  clouds. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


97 


The  old  man  asked,  as  soon  as  he  found  breath,  how  he  came 
there  ?  —  The  story  was  soon  told  —  he  belonged  to  a  privateer 
in  Causen  Bay ;  was  going  to  Plymouth ;  had  hurt  his  leg 
which  pained  him  very  much  ;  and  he  was  taking  the  shortest 
cut  to  get  to  town  as  soon  as  he  could  !  '  But  don't  you  know,' 
said  this  ancient  Adam,  *  that  there 's  a  fine  of  half  a  guinea  for 
crossing  a  hedge  ?  '  —  No,  indeed  !  how  should  he  know  hav- 
ing been  at  sea  all  his  life  !  —  It  was  not  very  difficult  to  per- 
suade the  old  man,  that  no  wrong  or  insult,  had  been  intended 
to  '  my  Lord  Edgecombe'  —  who  it  seems  was  the  proprietor  of 
this  princely  establishment  —  and  in  the  end  he  became  so 
good  natured  as  to  give  egress  to  our  traveller  at  a  back  pos- 
tern that  opened  from  the  garden  upon  the  river.  This  was  an 
important  advantage  gained  ;  for  it  enabled  him  to  avoid  the 
public  ferry,  and  the  necessity  of  passing  his  old  prison  —  a 
butcher,  who  happened  to  be  just  passing  at  the  moment  in  a 
small  wherry,  with  two  sheep  for  the  market,  was  prevailed 
upon  to  set  him  across  the  river  for  sixpence,  and  before  night 
he  was  once  more  safe  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the  venera- 
ble clergyman  at  Plymouth. 


CHAPTER  IX 


Singular  good  fortune  of  Lieutenant  Barney  in  eluding  hia  pursuers  :  — 
while  at  supper  with  his  friends,  the  Town  crier  rings  his  bell  under 
the  windows,  proclaims  a  reward  for  his  apprehension,  and  describes 
his  person,  and  dress :  consternation  and  alarm  of  his  friends  :-— « 
—  his  own  sangfroid  on  the  occasion  :  —  procures  a  new  dress,  and  takes  a 
Post-chaise  at  midnight  (or  Exeter  :  —  laughable  deception  of  the  Sentinel 
at  the  gate  : —  he  reaches  Exeter  in  safety  :  —  adventure  on  the  road  thence 
to  Bristol :  —  meets  with  friends: —  goes  to  London:  —  is  hardly  dissuaded 
from  the  hazardous  design  of  visiting  Mr  Laurens  in  the  Tower  :  —  kindnesa 
of  an  officer  of  the  Custom  House  :  —  sails  lor  Ostend  :  —  romantic  adven- 
ture, and  agreeable  journey  thence  to  Brussels  :  —  unexpected  introduction 
to  the  Emperor  of  Austria —  travels  through  Antwerp  and  Rotterdam  to  the 
Hague: — sees  the  Prince  of  Orange  : — arrives  at  Amsterdam  :  — meets 
with  Mr  John  Adams,  and  is  kindly  received  :  —  takes  passage  in  the  frigate 
South  Carolina  —  quits  her  at  Corunna,  in  Spain,  and  takes  passage  in  a 
Massachusetts  Privateer  :  — visits  Bilboa  : —  arrives  at  Beverly  :  —  honora- 
ble offer  to  him  by  the  Messrs  Cabot :  —  he  declines  it,  and  sets  out  for  Bos- 
ton—  ho-pitable  reception  there  :  —  is  detained  by  snow-storms — travels 
in  a  sleigh  to  Princeton: — arrires  safely  at  Philadelphia  —  meeting  with 
his  wile  and  son. 


It  must  often  occur  to  those  who  closely  observe  the  events 
of  human  life,  to  find  a  verification  of  the  apothegm  that  L& 
vrai  n'est  pas  loujovrs  le  vraisemblable  —  that  which  is  un- 
quest'onably  true,  has  often  very  little  the  semblance  of  truth. 
There  is  an  apparent  wildness  of  romantic  improbability  in 
many  of  the  incidents  that  occurred  to  the  subject  of  these 
memoirs  during  his  imprisonment  in  England,  which  might 
almost  tempt  one  to  believe  that  they  were  rather  the  dreams  of 
an  excited  imagination  than  the  sober  record  of  realities,  were 
it  not,  that,  besides  his  own  well  known  and  characteristic  love  of 
truth,  there  is  abundant  testimony  in  confirmation  of  these  pas- 
sages of  his  life,  it  would  seem  to  be  afmost  incredible,  and 
yet  it  is  certainly  a  fact,  that  Lieutenant  Barney's  escape,  in  the 
open  day,  from  Mill  Prison,  was  never  discovered,  until  the 
inquiries  set  on  foot  by  Admiral  Digby,  in  consequence  of  the 
report  made  to  him  by  the  captain  of  the  privateer,  led  to  a 
personal  inspection  of  all  the  prisoners.     In  less  than  an  hour 


MEMOIR    OP  COMMODORE  BARNES.  99 

after  he  had  slipped  off  from  the  privateer,  a  guard  which  had 
been  despatched  from  the  prison  at  Plymouth,  arrived  at  the 
little  village  of  Causen  ;  and  he  must  inevitably  have  run  into 
the  very  arms  of  this  guard  —  all  of  whom  were  of  course 
well  acquainted  with  his  person  —  if  he  had  kept  on  the  high 
way  only  a  lew  hundred  yards  farther  then  he  did  :  his  trespass 
upon  the  hedge  of  Lord  Edgecombe  alone  saved  him. 

To  the  two  friends  whom  he  had  so  unceremoniously  aban- 
doned, it  happened  just  as  he  had  foreseen  —  he  not  being 
found  in  their  company,  they  were  immediately  released  by 
order  of  the  admiral,  and  their  little  fishing  vessel  —  albeit 
of  very  little  use  to  them  without  her  'skipper'  —  was  given  up. 
In  the  course  of  the  evening,  these  two  gentlemen,  also,  both 
returned  to  the  house  of  the  clergyman ;  and  thus  was  every- 
thing brought  back  to  the  point  from  which  they  had  started 
two  days  before.  But  it  very  soon  became  evident,  that  though 
the  situation  of  his  two  friends  had  not  been  rendered  worse 
by  the  experiment,  that  of  Barney  himself  was  a  hundred  fold 
more  precarious  and  full  of  danger.  —  While  the  family  and 
their  three  guests  sat  at  supper,  laughing  over  the  adventures  of 
the  last  fortyeight  hours,  and  passing  not  a  few  jokes  upon  the 
vigilance  of  the  guard  at  Mill  Prison,  the  bell  of  the  town 
crier  sent  forth  a  peal  near  the  windows  that  startled  them  all, 
and  the  next  moment  they  heard  him  proclaiming '  Five  guin- 
ea's reward,  for  the  apprehension  of  Joshua  Barney,  a  rebel  de- 
serter from  Mill  Prison,'  &c,  &c.  —  The  proclamation  went  on 
to  describe  minutely  his  person  and  dress,  and  called  upon  all 
loyal  subjects  to  aid,  and  so  forth !  For  a  moment  it  was 
thought  by  all  present,  that  the  bellman  had  seemed  to  address 
his  proclamation  particularly  to  that  house  !  and  that  a  military 
reconnoissance  would  speedily  follow  ;  but  the  sound  passed 
away,  and  the  street  remained  quiet.  While  every  counte- 
nance at  table,  was  turned  upon  the  subject  of  this  proclama- 
tion, with  a  look  of  mingled  sympathy  and  despondence,  he 
himself  exhibited  no  symptom  of  alarm  :  on  the  contrary,  he 
thought  the  proclamation,  bawled  as  it  was  into  his  very  ears, 
the  most  fortunate  thing  that  could  have  happened  for  him  ;  and 
the  bellman  had  no  sooner  passed  out  of  hearing  than  he  jump- 
ed up  from  the  table  and  repeating,  with  a  ludicrous  imitation 
of  his  nasal  twang,  the  minute  description  of  his  dress,  declared 
himself  under  great  obligations  to  the  generosity  of  the  town 
crier,  for  reminding  him  of  the  necessity  of  changing  his  dis- 
guise ! 

He  continued   to  lie  perdue  in  the  snug  quarters  of  the 


100 


MEMOIR    OF 


parsonage  house  for  three  days  longer,  in  the  course  of  which 
time  one  of  the  sons  of  his  friend  the  clergyman,  whose  size 
very  nearly  corresponded  with  his  own,  ordered  a  new  suit  of 
fashionable  clothes  from  his  tailor,  which  fitted  admirably,  and 
undertook  to  procure  a  post-chaise  for  Exeter.  His  Mary- 
land friends  readily  replenished  his  empty  purse  —  and  every- 
thing was  prepared  for  another  experiment.  He  bade  farewell 
once  more  to  his  kind  protectors,  and  at  midnight,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  the  old  gentleman's  sons,  he  repaired  to  the 
spot  where  the  post-chaise  had  previously  been  ordered  to  be 
in  readiness  —  it  was  there;  he  shook  hands  with  his  young 
friend,  wished  him  a  gay  good-night,  stepped  into  the  chaise,  and 
off  it  whirled.  Now,  then,  thought  he,  all  promises  fair!  '1 
have  only  to  play  the  part  of  an  independent  gentleman,  and 
who  shall  dare  call  me  deserter!'' — In  a  few  minutes  they 
reached  the  gate  of  the  town  — '  Halt !  '  cried  a  sentinel  with 
the  voice  of  a  stentor:  the  driver  obeyed  on  the  instant  ;  the 
chaise  door  was  opened  by  a  fellow  of  Herculean  proportions, 
who  thrust  a  lamp  into  the  carriage,  and  repeating  aloud  the 
description  of  person  and  dress  so  faithfully  set  forth  in  the 
proclamation  of  the  town  crier,  began  very  deliberately  to 
compare  the  portrait  with  the  original  before  him.  The  pre- 
sence of  mind  of  the  '  gentleman  traveller'  did  not  desert  him 
on  this  critical  occasion  —  his  '  handsome  mouth'  took  a  sudden 
'  twist  to  larboard' ;  his  '  dark,  flashing,  sprightly  eyes,'  squinted 
so  awfully,  that  he  might  have  been  mistaken  for  the  ghost  of 
that  celebrated  historian  wTho  owed  his  name  to  the  like  defect 
of  vision  ;  and  he  demanded,  in  a  tone  of  insulted  dignity,  to 
know  what  the  fellow  meant  by  such  insolence  !  The  soldier 
by  this  time  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  scrutiny, 
begged  the  gentleman's  pardon,  and  ordered  the  posti.'ion  to 
drive  on  :  the  latter  did  his  duty  faithfully,  his  horses  were 
i  good  blood,'  and  by  daylight,  they  entered  the  town  of  Exe- 
ter, a  distance  of  fortyfive  miles  from  Plymouth. 

As  the  post-chaise  drove  into  the  inn-yard  at  Exeter,  a  stage- 
coach was  just  about  to  leave  it :  our  traveller  called  out  to 
know  where  it  was  going,  and  being  answered  '  to  Bristol !'  he 
ordered  it  to  wait  a  moment,  got  out  of  his  chaise,  paid  die  boy 
handsomely  for  his  night's  work,  jumped  into  the  starting  coach, 
and  was  on  the  road  agiin  without  the  loss  of  a  moment.  The 
reader  may  believe,  that  he  was  not  very  much  displeased  to  find, 
as  the  increasing  light  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  examining  the 
interior  of  the  coach,  that  he  had  but  one  companion  —  a  young 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  M)l   • 

female,  of  modest,  and  interesting  appearance,  to  whom  —  as 
was  his  wont  on  such  occasions  —  he  soon  became  very  atten- 
tive, '  and  all  that.'  He  pretended  to  discover  in  her  a  great 
resemblance  to  '  a  sister'  whom  he  loved  very  much,  and  fancy- 
ing that  this  gave  him  a  sort  of  claim  to  her  acquaintance,  he 
acted  the  *  brother'  a  merveilles,  during  the  whole  journey  to 
Bristol  ;  and  by  this  innocent  artifice  not  only  afforded  respect- 
able protection  to,  perhaps,  a  very  deserving  young  lady,  but 
avoided,  to  himself,  any  of  the  inconveniences  that  might  have 
attended  his  travelling  as  an  unknown  and  unconnected  stran- 
ger. 

On  his  arrival  at  Bristol,  he  went  immediately  in  search  of 
the  gentleman  upon  whom  he  had  a  letter  of  credit,  and  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  hear  from  him,  that  there  was  an  Amer- 
ican agent  then  in  Bristol,  a  gentleman  from  Virginia,  who 
would  no  doubt  be  glad  to  see  and  converse  with  him.  Mr 
Clifford  very  kindly  undertook  to  introduce  him,  and  the  Vir- 
ginian received  and  entertained  him  with  the  most  gratifying 
courtesy  and  hospitality.  Being  assured  that  he  might  consid- 
er himself  safe  from  pursuit  at  Bristol,  he  was  persuaded  to  re- 
main here  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  take  that  repose  which 
his  late  active  adventures  had  rendered  so  necessary.  On  quit- 
ting tliis  quiet  and  peaceful  retreat,  he  was  advised  by  the  Ameri- 
can agent  to  proceed  directly  to  London,  where  he  would  be  not 
only  more  likely  to  hear  of  safe  opportunities  of  return  to  the 
United  States,  but  be  better  able  to  avoid  suspicion  and  detec- 
tion, until  such  an  opportunity  occurred.  The  gentleman  fur- 
nished him  with  the  name  of  an  individual  in  London,  an  officer 
of  the  Customs,  and  a  countryman  —  and  gave  him  the  impres- 
sion of  his  seal  in  wax,  telling  him  that  nothing  more  would  be 
necessary  than  the  presentation  of  that,  to  insure  him  a  hearty 
welcome,  and  every  service  he  might  need,  from  this  Govern- 
ment officer.  Thus  furnished,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  mail-coach 
for  the  great  metropolis,  and  arrived  without  meeting  with  a  single 
incident  to  remind  him  that  he  was  a  runaway  prisoner,  travel- 
ling in  the  very  heart  of  his  enemy's  territory.  He  followed  the 
advice  of  his  Bristol  friend,  and  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of 
presenting  himself  to  the  Virginian,  whom  he  found  holding  an 
important  post  in  the  custom-house.  The  reception  which  had 
been  promised  him,  was  more  than  realized  —  the  Virginian  in- 
troduced him  immediately  to  his  family,  procured  respectable 
lodgings  for  him  in  the  neighborhood,  and  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  leisure  which  his  official  duties  allowed  him,  in 
9* 


102 


MEMOIR  OP 


accompanying   his  guest  to  visit  the  many  objects  of  interest 
and  curiosity,  which  this  '  world-in-itself  imbounds.* 

He  remained  six  weeks  in  London,  before  a  chance  occurred 
of  leaving  it  with  favorable  prospects  ;  durhig  all  which  time, 
it  was  never  once  brought  to  his  recollection,  that  a  price  was 
set  upon  his  head  !  No  man  ever  felt  less  like  a  proclaimed 
deserter,  or  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  pressed  upon  him  with  a 
freer  heart.  The  distinguished  American  patriot,  Laurens, 
was  at  this  moment  imprisoned  in  the  tower  of  London  — 
though  Barney  knew  him  at  the  time,  only  by  name  and  repu- 
tation, he  would  have  hurried  off  to  pay  his  respects  the  instant 
the  information  was  communicated  to  him,  had  not  his  friend 
very  judiciously  stopped  him,  by  representing  that  it  would  be 
running  foolishly  into  the  lion's  mouth  ;  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  gain  admission  to  Mr  Laurens,  without  making  certain 
disclosures  concerning  himself,  which  might  be  attended  with 
very  inconvenient  consequences.  This  was  certainly  very  pru- 
dent advice,  and  for  once  in  his  life,  the  lieutenant  suffered  his 
inclination  to  be  overruled  by  the  dictates  of  discretion.  —  He 
had  an  opportunity,  before  he  left  London,  of  seeing  '  the  King1 

—  upon   whom  he  had   bestowed   many  a  left-handed  blessing 

—  and  all  the  i  royal  family,'  as  they  moved  in  procession  to 
St  Paul's  and  had  the  grace  to  acknowledge  to  his  friend  the 
Virginian,  that  they  were  by  no  means  so  savage-looking  as  he 
had  imagined  them  to  be. 

Tired  at  length  of  '  life  in  London  'or  rather  beginning  to 
feel  that  he  ought  to  make  some  effort  to  return  to  his  country, 
whatever  dangers  might  stand  in  the  way,  or  however  circuitous 
the  route,  it  might  become  necessary  for  him  to  take,  he  made 
his  way  to  Margate,  and  there  took  passage  in  one  of  the 
packets  just  about  to  sail  for  Ostend.  —  We  have  hesitated,  after 
reading  his  Journal,  whether  we  ought  not  to  leave  \h\s passage 
to  the  reader's  imagination,  and  take  up  our  subject  again  at 
Bruges,  or  Brussels,  or  some  other  distant  point  of  the  Euro- 
pean continent  —  but  upon  the  whole,  we  have  resolved  that  it 
would  be  better  to  follow  him  up  closely  throughout  the  voyage 
and  subsequent  journey,  than  leave  him  for  a  moment  exposed 
to  conjectures  and  surmises,  in  which  the    most  good  natured 

*  Soon  after  he  reached  London,  Mr  Barney  called  upon  Lady  Grant  — 
the  sister  of  Mrs  Barney's  mother — who  received  him  kindly  enough,  un- 
til made  acquainted  with  the  fact  of  his  escape  from  prison,  which  so  alarm- 
ed her,  that  she  offered  him  a  purse  of  gold  and  peremptorily  commanded 
him  to  quit  London  immediately.  Her  husband  wa3  a  zealous  ministerialist, 
and  of  course,  violently  opposed  to  the  cause  of  '  the  Rebels.' 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  103 

reader  would  be  very  apt  to  indulge,  very  unjustly,  to  his 
prejudice.  —  Upon  going  on  board  the  packet,  he  found  it  more 
agreeable  for  some  time  to  remain  upon  deck,  and  breathe  the 
free  air,  and  watch  the  various  points  of  land  as  they  rapidly 
turned  their  different  faces  to  the  passing  vessel,  than  to  follow 
the  crowd  into  a  confined  cabin,  where  from  his  experience 
in  these  matters,  he  anticipated  nothing  that  could  pay  him  for 
the  sacrifice  of  his  ease.  As  he  walked  the  deck,  and  exam- 
ined the  many  curious  articles  of  lading,  that  still  lay  strewed 
about  its  surface,  he  was  surprised  to  see  a  splendid  equipage, 
and  four  elegant,  beautifully  matched  horses,  in  the  care  of  sev- 
eral servants,  in  rich  liveries.  He  had  seen  nobody  on  board, 
to  whom  he  thought  such  an  establishment  could  belong  — for 
the  passengers  appeared  to  him,  for  the  most  part,  to  be  of  the 
common  class  of  traders  and  shopkeepers,  whose  object  was 
business  rather  than  pleasure  —  and  it  excited  his  curiosity  ;  he 
disliked  the  idea  of  questioning  one  of  the  servants,  for  he 
knew  that  the  '  gentleman  of  that. corps'  were  not  always  dis- 
posed to  give  a  civil  answer  —  he  determined,  therefore,  to  join 
the  company  in  the  cabin,  and  by  a  closer  scrutiny  find  out 
whether  there  were  any  among  them  whom  he  had  not  yet  seen. 
The  packet  was  now  in  the  channel,  the  wind  was  blowing 
freshly,  and  there  was  a  heavy  cross  sea  running  — just  that 
state  of  things,  which  is  sure  to  make  a  landsman  curse  the 
stars,  that  tempted  him  to  trust  to  the  promises  of  the  fickle i*K 
ocean.  He  walked  down  into  the  cabin  —  it  reminded  him 
of  his  dungeon  aboard  the  Yarmouth — small,  crowded,  and 
suffocating —  he  managed  to  push  his  way  through  the  agitated 
mass,  until  he  came  to  the  after-locker,  seated  upon  which, 
under  one  of  the  windows,  was  a  female  who  seemed  to  be 
entirely  unattended  and  suffering  the  extremest  horrors  of  that 
malady  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention.  She  was 
the  only  female  of  the  party,  and  not  one  of  the  numerous 
crowd  around  gave  the  slightest  indication  that  he  was  even 
aware  of  her  presence.  What  a  set  of  insensible  savages  !  — 
If  there  be  one  situation  in  which  above  all  others  a  beautiful 
woman  would  not  choose  to  be  seen  —  by  one  in  whom  she 
desired  to  excite  an  interest  of  a  certain  kind  —  it  must  surely 
be  such  a  one  as  that  in  which  this  lady  was  now  found.  There 
are  many  afflictions  that  give  a  heightening  interest  to  the  most 
lovely  features  —  degrees  and  kinds  of  suffering  that  add  a 
softening  charm  to  the  sweetest  countenance ;  —  but  we  are 
very  willing  to  believe,  that  'seasickness'  is  not  among  the 
number   of    these    improving   maladies,  —  at   least,    when   it 


104 


MEMOIR   OF 


reaches  a  certain  stage.  We  have  said,  that  no  sailor  ever  felt 
commiseration  for  those  who  are  so  wretched  as  to  be  thus 
afflicted ;  but,  of  course,  we  meant  to  charge  this  want  of 
pitying  sympathy  only  in  the  case  of  your  great  lubberly,  two- 
fisted  landsman,  who  had  never  passed  within  the  magic  circles 
of  Cancer  or  Capricorn,  and  who  therefore  were  not  to  be  sup- 
posed worthy  of  a  sailor's  pity  —  but  in  the  case  of  woman  — 
*  lovely  woman  ' —  Oest  toute  autre  chose  —  there  is  a  tender 
chord  in  the  bosom  of  every  seaman,  that  the  sight  of  woman 
in  distress  never  fails  to  touch  with  sympathetic  vibration. 
Here  was  a  case  that  would  have  lit  up  the  dormant  spark  of 
humanity  in  any  breast,  save  in  those  of  the  cold  and  selfish 
barbarians  who  now  filled  the  cabin  of  the  packet.  Lieutenant 
Barney  looked  around  upon  the  unfeeling,  vulgar  crowd,  with 
a  scowl  of  indignation,  and  approached  the  suffering  female  to 
offer  his  sympathy  and  assistance.  Nothing  could  have  been 
better  timed  —  the  lady  had  become  so  enfeebled,  by  the  re- 
peated and  powerful  efforts  of  nature  to  relieve  her,  that  she 
must  have  sunk  upon  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  had  not  the  ready 
arm  of  our  gallant  countryman  been  stretched  forth  at  the 
moment  to  receive  her.  She  was  too  sick,  too  faint,  to  testify, 
by  words,  whether  she  was  grateful  for,  or  offended  at,  this 
opportune,  and  manifestly  compassionate,  act  of  familiarity  ; 
but  the  tranquil  manner  in  which  she  rested  her  aching  head 
upon  the  shoulder  of  her  supporter,  and  the  soft  expression  of 
her  swimming  eyes  as  she  upraised  them  to  his  —  spoke  in- 
telligibly enough,  that  she  would  have  thanked  him,  if  she  had 
had  power  of  utterance. 

Our  readers  may,  perhaps,  remember  that,  in  the  case  of  the 
two  Maryland  gentlemen  on  board  the  unfortunate  fishing 
vessel,  Lieutenant  Barney  recommended  a  very  singular  remedy, 
which  he  pronounced  to  be  '  sovereign  '  in  all  attacks  of  the 
mal  de  mer  or  nausea  marina  :  —  we  may  judge  of  his  sincerity 
on  that  occasion,  by  the  very  different  remedy  which  he  pre- 
scribed for  the  sick  lady —  he  ordered  a  cup  of  '  mulled  wine  ' 
to  be  immediately  prepared,  giving  particular  directions  as  to 
the  proportions  of  its  several  aromatic  ingredients;  held  it 
with  his  own  hand  to  the  lips  of  his  patient,  and  insisted  upon 
her  sipping  the  fragrant  restorative ;  and  then  lifted  her  in  his 
arms  to  the  nearest  state-room,  where  he  gently  deposited  the 
still  languid  and  almost  unconscious  sufferer  upon  the  rude  couch 
prepared  for  her.  None  but  a  brute,  or  a  philosopher,  could 
think  of  leaving  a  woman  to  die,  by  herself  —  our  lieutenant 
was  neither,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  tender-hearted  and  benevo- 
lent a  human  being  as  ever  lived. 


COMMODORE  BARNEV. 


105 


After  a  squally  and  boisterous  night,  which  rendered  the  pas- 
sage across  the  channel  extremely  uncomfortable,  except  to 
those  accustomed  to  the  sea,  the  packet  reached  Ostend  soon 
after  breakfast  the  next  morning.  As  our  wanderer  had  no  bag- 
gage to  hunt  up,  he  of  course  kept  aloof  from  the  bustle  and 
confusion  among  the  passengers,  and  was  at  liberty  to  continue 
his  kind  attentions  to  the  sick  lady  ;  who,  though  somewhat  re- 
covered, was  evidently  still  laboring  under  extreme  debility  and 
langour.  By  his  advice,  she  remained  quiet  in  the  cabin,  until 
the  passengers  had  all  landed,  and  then  with  the  assistance  of 
his  arm  — without  which  it  was  plain  she  could  not  have  walk- 
ed —  mounted  the  deck  and  descended  upon  the  quay.  The 
elegant  equipage,  which  had  so  much  excited  his  curiosity  the 
evening  before,  but  which  had  been  entirely  forgotten  in  subse- 
quent events,  was  drawn  up,  apparently  in  waiting  for  its  owner ; 
and  he  was  beginning  again  to  wonder  to  whom  it  could  belong, 
when  his  companion  —  whose  voice  he  had  hitherto  heard  only 
in  feeble  and  broken  monosyllables  —  spoke  to  one  of  the  attend- 
ants, in  French,  and  then  turning  to  him,  invited  him  to  take 
a  seat  with  her  to  the  hotel,  where  she  would  endeavor  to  thank 
him  for  his  very  great  kindness,  and  professional  advice  !  — 
He  bowed,  handed  her  into  the  carriage,  and  took  the  offered 
seat  beside  her.  She  had  mistaken  him  for  a  physician  !  —  was 
it  any  wonder?  —  but  his  pride  was  hurt,  and  his  vanity  morti- 
fied, and  he  lost  no  time  in  undeceiving  her  as  to  the  nature  of 
his  profession  :  —  he  was  no  medical  man,  but  an  American 
naval  officer  — '  every  inch  a  sailor !'  The  lady  appeared  a 
little  embarrassed  —  she  had  been  acepting  his  services,  without 
scruple,  under  the  impression  that  they  might  be  compensated 
by  the  offer  of  her  purse  —  she  was  sorry  —  that  is,  she  was 
glad  —  in  short,  would  the  Captain  do  her  the  honor  to  take 
his  dinner  with  her  at  the  hotel  ? 

The  traveller  who  cannot  make  up  his  mind  to  the  rough  and 
the  smooth  of  his  road,  bearing  the  one  with  equanimity,  and 
taking  the  other  as  a  '  good,  the  gods  provide,'  ought  to  stay  at 
home  —  it  is  certain  he  is  not  born  to  be  a  '  hero,'  and  it  may 
be  doubted  whether  he  can  be  a  good  christian.  —  During  the 
dinner,  the  lady  communicated  to  the  '  captain'  just  so  much  of 
her  story  as  served  to  excite,  rather  than  to  allay,  curiosity  — 
she  was  an  Italian  —  had  been  residing  for  several  years  in  Lon- 
don —  and  was  now  on  her  way  to  Turin,  via  Bruges  and  Brus- 
sels, at  which  last  place  she  expected  to  meet  a  '  certain  indi- 
vidual,' by  whom  her  further  progress  would  be  directed  : —  If 
the  '  captain's,'  intended  journey  lay  anywhere  in  the  proximity 


106 


MEMOIR  OP 


of  this  route,  it  would  give  her  great  pleasure  if  he  would  ac- 
cept the  vacant  seat  in  her  carriage  — 'as  he  was  a  stranger  in 
the  country,  perhaps  he  might  find  her  acquaintance  with  the  road 
a  convenience  to  him.  — This  proposition  was  made  in  so  mod- 
est and  delicate  a  manner,  that  the  most  malicious  would  have 
found  it  difficult  to  give  an  improper  construction  to  the  motive, 
and  the  most  egregious  vanity  could  have  seen  in  it  nothing  but 
a  grateful  desire  to  repay  an  obligation  of  courtesy.  Need  we 
say,  that  Lieutenant  Barney  accepted  the  agreeable  offer,  and 
that  he  was  quite  enough  a  man  of  the  world  to  perceive  at  once, 
that  in  doing  so,  he  was  receiving  a  much  higher  favor  than  he 
conferred.  The  party  being  arranged,  they  set  out  immediate- 
ly after  dinner,  and  arrived  at  Bruges  the  same  evening  :  here 
the  lady  was  waited  upon  by  a  gentleman  in  the  uniform  of  an 
Austrian  general,  and  an  animated  conversation  was  carried  on 
between  them  for  half  an  hour,  in  the  presence  of  her  travelling 
companion,  but  in  the  Italian  language,  which  she  had  previous- 
ly ascertained  he  did  not  understand.  The  next  morning  at  an 
early  hour,  the  same  gentleman  called  again,  placed  a  large  seal- 
ed packet  in  the  hands  of  the  lady,  and  remained  in  her  company 
until  the  moment  of  departure.  Every  step  of  their  subse- 
quent journey  tended  to  thicken  the  veil  of  mystery  in  which 
this  fair  incognita  was  wrapped  —  that  she  was  a  lady  of  high 
rank,  the  number  of  her  attendants,  the  richness  of  their  equip- 
ments, and  above  all  the  profound  deference  paid  her  by  the 
Austrian  general,  sufficiently  declared  ;  but  who?  or  what?  — 
was  beyond  all  the  ingenuity  of  one  who  had  so  strangely  become 
her  fellow-traveller  to  discover.  She  continued  to  treat  '  Mon- 
sieur Capitaine,'  as  she  called  him,  with  marked  attention,  and 
unremitted  efforts  to  keep  him  amused,  by  her  spirited  remarks 
upon  the  scenery  and  people  as  they  drove  rapidly  along  the 
level  roads  ;  but  there  was  at  times  an  air  of  protective  conde- 
scension in  her  manners,  not  at  all  flattering  to  the  pride  of  our 
countryman.  At  Brussels  the  mystery  assumed  a  stiil  deeper 
shade,  and  the  curiosity  of  Lieutenant  Barney  was  raised  to  its 
utmost  height —  it  was  here  that  the  lady  had  expected  to  meet 
a  'certain  individual,'  by  whom  her  future  movements  would  be 
directed.  Whether  that  individual  had  not  arrived  when  the 
party  reached  Brussels,  or  whether  any  obstacle  existed  to  pre- 
vent the  lady  from  immediately  profiling  by  his  presence,  she 
made  known  her  determination  to  rem  i  i  here  some  days  to 
repose  :  on  the  third  day,  she  invited  the '  captain'  to  attend  her  on 
a  visit,  which  it  became  necessary  for  her,  as  she  said,  to  make 
to  a  '  certain  hotel'  —  nunquam  non  paratus  was  a  distinguish- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  107 

ing  trait  in  the  character  of  Barney  —  they  set  out  immediately 
on  foot,  and  after  traversing  several  streets,  stopped  before  a 
noble  mansion  :  —  the  lady  handed  a  paper  to  the  porter,  and 
in  less  than  a  minute  afterwards,  they  were  both  ushered  into 
the  presence  of  the  Emperor  Joseph,  of  Austria  !  The  aston- 
ishment of  the  lieutenant  was  unbounded,  when  the  lady  present- 
ed him  as  an  American  officer,  who  had  been  serviceable  to  her 
on  the  road.  — Joseph  said  something  to  him,  but  what  it  was, 
he  neither  heard  nor  understood,  and  immediately  afterwards 
taking  the  lady  by  the  hand,  led  her  into  an  adjoining  room, 
where  they  remained  closeted  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. — 
Barney,  in  the  meantime,  being  left  standing  in  the  audience  cham- 
ber, with  sundry  big  whiskered  Germans  and  spruce  Italians,  who 
eyed  him  with  a  stare  of  surprise  at  least  equal  to  his  own.  On 
the  reentranee  of  the  lady,  who  came  back  alone,  they  returned 
to  their  hotel.  On  the  way,  his  mysterious  companion  caution- 
ed him,  that  it  was  the  emperor's  pleasure  to  be  travelling  in- 
cognito, and  that  she  had  undertaken  to  promise  for  him,  invio- 
lable secrecy,  while  he  remained  in  the  Austrian  dominions,  as 
to  his  having  seen  His  Imperial  Majesty  at  Brussels.  She  then 
announced  her  intention  of  departing  immediately  for  Italy, 
expressed  some  polite  regrets  that  she  should  be  compelled  to 
lose  the  company  of  so  agreeable  a  fellow-traveller —  and  made 
her  adieu  pour  jamais !  Barney  never  saw  or  heard  of  her 
afterwards  :  it  was  evident  the  lady  had  been  employed  in  some 
political  intrigue  ;  but  its  nature,  object,  or  issue,  he  was  fated 
never  to  comprehend. 

After  a  stay  of  five  days  at  Brussels,  Lieutenant  Barney  re- 
sumed his  journey,  and  travelling  through  Antwerp,  Rotterdam, 
and  the  Hague  —  at  which  last  place  he  stopped  just  long 
enough  to  gratify  his  desire  of  seeing  the  Prince  of  Orange,  the 
stadtholder  —  arrived  at  Amsterdam.  Mr  John  Adams,  the 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States  to  Holland, 
was  at  this  place,  and  Barney  seized  the  opportunity  of  paying 
his  respects  to  his  distinguished  countryman.  His  name  was  not 
unknown  to  Mr  Adams,  who  received  him  with  his  character- 
istic urbanity,  and  gratified  the  lieutenant  by  leading  him  into  a 
full  recital  of  his  adventures  after  his  capture  by  the  Intrepid,  in 
many  parts  of  which  the  minister  interrupted  him  with  the  most 
flattering  compliments  to  his  bravery  and  presence  of  mind. 
From  Mr  Adams,  Barney  received  the  information  that  there 
was  an  American  frigate  then  at  Amsterdam,  to  sail  in  a  few 
days  for  the  United  States ;  and  upon  his  expressing  a  wish 
that  he  could  take  passage  in  her  home,  Mr  Adams  at  once 


108 


MEMOIR  OP 


gave  him  a  note  to  her  commander,  Commodore  Gillon,  re- 
questing the  favor  for  him.  He  found  the  frigate  lying  at  the 
Texel,  and  one  of  the  finest  of  her  class  he  had  ever  seen  in 
any  part  of  the  world  —  she  mounted  28  long  foriytwo  pound- 
ers on  her  mnin  deck,  and  16  long  twelves  on  her  forecastle 
and  quarter-deck,  and  had  on  board  550  men  :  she  was  called 
the  South  Carolina,  and  was  the  property  of  the  State  of  South 
Carolina.  Commodore  Gillon  very  politely  promised  Mr  Bar- 
ney a  passage,  but  informed  him  it  would  be  still  some  weeks 
before  lie  could  be  ready  to  sail.  As,  even  with  this  de- 
lay, he  would  probably  reach  home  sooner  —  and  certainly 
safer  —  than  by  any  other  channel,  he  determined  to  wait  for 
her,  and  to  employ  the  interval  in  such  amusements  as  he  could 
find  among  the  numerous  strangers  then  at  this  great  commer- 
cial mart.  It  was  now  that  he  first  began  to  find  his  know- 
ledge of  the  French  language  useful  to  him  —  it  introduced 
him  to  an  agreeable  circle  of  society,  in  which  he  formed 
many  acquaintances  that  proved  of  essentia]  benefit  to  him  in 
his  after  connexion  with  the  French  Republic.  He  strove  hard 
to  gain  some  knowledge  of  the  Dutch  language  also,  during 
the  short  periods  of  his  disengagement  from  more  agreeable 
enployment  ;  but  bis  utmost  efforts  carried  him  no  further  than 
the  acquisition  of  a  few  common  phrases  of  salutation,  or  of 
execration  —  which  he  used  sometimes  to  let  off,  by  way  of 
smoothing  a  good,  round,  intelligible,  English  oath  ! 

In  July,  1781,  he  was  informed  that  the  South  Carolina 
was  ready  to  leave  the  Texel,  and  went  on  board.  He  was  so 
enamoured  of  this  fine  ship  —  the  beauty  of  her  model,  me 
symmetry  of  her  proportions,  the  powerful  strength  of  her  bat- 
tery—  that  he  would  willingly  have  compounded  with  fate,  to 
close  his  earthly  career  at  the  end  of  the  war,  provided  he 
could  command  her  with  a  '  roving  commission'  during  its 
continuance.  It  was  not  until  the  frigate  had  been  some  time 
at  sea,  that  Barney  found  out  it  was  not  the  intention  of  her 
commander  to  proceed  directly  to  the  United  States,  but  to  sail 
'  North  about,'  as  it  is  called  — that  is,  by  the  Orkneys,  and 
around  Scotland  and  Ireland  :  it  was  too  late  then  to  complain 
of  being  deceived,  but  he  determined,  on  the  first  opportunity, 
to  leave  the  ship  and  to  seek  some  more  direct  conveyance. 
They  cruised  along  the  coast  of  Scotland  and  Ireland  for  sev- 
eral weeks  without  encountering  anything  in  the  garb  of  an 
enemy,  until  at  length,  off  the  last  mentioned  island,  they  met 
with  a  privateer  brig,  and  captured  her.  The  South  Carolina 
then  proceeded  to  Corunna,  in  Spain,  and  here  Lieutenant  Bar- 


COMMODORE   BARNEY.  109 

ney,  and  several  other  passengers  on  board,  who  had  been  equal- 
ly disappointed  in  the  destination  of  the  ship,  left  her.  At 
Uorunna,  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  privateer  ship  be- 
longing to  Massachusetts,  called  the  '  Cicero,'  the  commander 
of  which,  Captain  Hill,  very  readily  agreed  to  give  him  a  pas- 
sage, but  informed  him  that  he  would  be  under  the  necessity  of 
proceeding  to  Bilboa  before  his  return  home.  Even  this  was 
considered  better  than  the  uncertain  prolongation  of  the  fri- 
gate's cruise,  and  he  closed  at  once  with  Captain  Hill's  offer. 

The  Cicero,  in  her  outward  passage,  had  captured  several 
valuable  prizes,  which  had  been  sent  into  Bilboa;  and  the  ob- 
ject of  her  touching  at  this  port,  was  to  receive  the  proceeds  of 
their  sale,  and  complete  her  cargo.  Having  accomplished  this 
purpose,  the  Cicero  sailed  from  Bilboa  about  the  beginning  of 
November,  and  after  a  cold,  stormy,  tedious,  and  uneventful 
passage,  arrived  at  Beverly,  in  Massachusetts,  late  in  Decem- 
ber. 

The  name  of  Lieutenant  Barney  was  honorably  known  at  Bev- 
erly ;  and  he  had  scarcely  time  to  get  himself  comfortably  lodg- 
ed on  shore,  through  the  kindness  of  Captain  Hill,  before  he  re- 
ceived an  offer  from  the  Messrs  Cabot,  merchants  of  the  highest 
respectability  and  standing,  of  the  command  of  their  privateer 
ship,  a  fine,  well  equipped  vessel,  mounting  20  guns,  with  the 
privilege  of  choosing  his  own  cruising  ground.  So  unexpected  an 
offer,  and  one  carrying  with  it  such  honorable  evidence  of  the 
reputation  he  enjoyed  among  his  countrymen,  it  may  be  well 
imagined,  was  in  the  highest  degree  gratifying  to  the  laudable 
pride  of  our  lieutenant ;  the  temptation  was  great  but  there  was 
a  still  more  powerful  one  at  Philadelphia  —  a  young  wife,  and 
all  the  tender  endearments  connected  with  the  name.  He  had 
been  married  but  a  few  short  months,  when  he  was  called  to 
his  station  on  board  the  Saratoga,  and  he  had  now  been  absent 
more  than  eighteen  months,  without  even  the  consolation  of 
having  once  heard  during  all  that  time  one  word  to  assure  him 
of  the  health  and  welfare  of  the  loved  one  !  Could  he  leave 
his  country  again,  to  be  the  sport  of  treacherous  fortune,  be- 
fore he  had  clasped  her  to  his  arms,  and  told  her  that  he  still 
loved  and  lived  for  her !  It  was  impossible  :  ambitious  as  he 
was,  and  proud  of  commanding,  he  had  the  resolution  to  refuse 

—  but  with  a  deep  and  indelible  sense  of  gratitude  to  the 
Messrs  Cabot,  for  this  signal  mark  of  their  confidence  in  him. 

—  Are  there  any  among  our  readers  so  exclusively  martial  and 
heroic  in  their  dispositions  as  to  find  cause  of  censure  in  this 
determination  of  Lieutenant  Barney  ?  If  there  be,  we  frankly 

10 


110 


MEMOIR  OF 


confess  we  despair  of  being  able  to  frame  an  apology  that 
might  not  bring  ourselves  into  the  same  reproach,  for  the  im- 
measurable preference  we  entertain  for  one  single  trait  of  nat- 
ural feeling,  over  all  the  belligerent  virtues  that  ever  graced  a 
'  hero.' 

Having  thus  resolved  —  much  to  his  honor,  we  cannot  help 
adding  —  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  family,  before  he  again  embarked 
in  any  enterprise,  (unless  at  command  of  his  country  which  he 
would  have  obeyed  at  any  sacrifice,)  he  sat  out  from  the  hospita- 
ble town  of  Beverly,  and  travelled  through  Salem,  to 
1782  Boston.  On  the  night  of  his  arrival  at  the  latter  place, 
a  snow-storm  commenced,  which  continued  for  several 
days,  and  covered  the  roads  to  such  a  depth  as  to  interrupt  all 
the  ordinary  modes  of  travelling :  he  was  in  consequence  com- 
pelled to  remain  here  for  several  weeks.  Very  much  to  the 
relief  of  this  unwilling  detention,  he  soon  discovered  that  he  was 
no  stranger  in  Boston,  as  he  had  believed  himself — ■  for  on 
the  day  after  his  arrival  he  was  agreeably  surprised  to  meet  with 
two  or  three  of  his  fellow-sufferers,  who,  like  himself,  had  been 
fortunate  enough  to  effect  their  escape  from  Mill  Prison :  the 
recognition  was  mutual,  and  the  joy  of  the  meeting  may  be  con- 
ceived —  a  thousand  questions  were  to  be  reciprocally  put  and 
answered,  and  the  friends  of  course  '  made  a  night  of  it' :  —  if 
our  readers  wish  this  phrase  to  be  interpreted,  we  refer  them 
to  any  sexagenary  in  this  neighborhood  who  has  a  recollection 
of  the  times  '  that  tried  men's  souls,'  and  we  have  no  doubt  he 
will  be  able  to  furnish  the  necessary  gloss.  By  these  brother 
officers,  Lieutenant  Barney  was  in  a  little  while  introduced  to 
'  every  body  worth  knowing'  in  Boston,  and  his  time  passed 
with  as  little  of  the  tedenm  vita  as  ever  annoyed  a  young,  loving 
husband  on  the  road  to  his  wife,  after  so  long  a  separation.  He 
was  .everywhere  received  with  kindness  and  treated  as  a  friend  ; 
and  the  recollection  of  Boston  and  its  inhabitants  lived  in  his 
heart,  in  ever  verdant  freshness,  to  the  last  moment  of  his  ex- 
istence. Those  sturdy  patriots,  John  Hancock  and  Samuel 
Adams  —  names  which  next  to  that  of  Washington  he  venerated 
more  than  any  in  the  long  catalogue  of  our  revolutionary 
worthies  —  paid  him  the  honor  of  their  especial  notice  and  most 
flattering  civilities.  To  be  taken  familiarly  by  the  hand,  and 
treated  kindly  by  such  men,  wasindeed  an  honor,  of  which  the 
proudest  in  our  land  might  be  still  prouder  to  be  able  to  boast. 

It  was  at  length  proposed  to  him,  by  a  gentleman  who  was 
as  anxious  as  himself  to  get  on  to  Philadelphia,  that  they  should 
club  their  purses  and  hire  a  i  sleighf  as  there  seemed  to  be  no 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  1 1 1 

prospect  of  the  road's  becoming  practicable  for  carriages  until 
the  breaking  up  of  the  winter  —  the  proposition  was  gladly  em- 
braced, and  the  two  gentlemen,  having  effected  a  negotiation 
with  the  owner  of  one  of  these  vehicles  and  a  pair  of  good 
strong;  horses,  commenced  their  southern  journey.  They  were 
obliged  to  travel  very  slowly  ;  but  everywhere  through  the  New 
England  States,  their  entertainment  was  so  kind  and  hospitable, 
that  they  were  scarcely  permitted  to  feel  any  of  the  inconven- 
iences of  their  long  and  tedious  road.  Their  '  sleigh?  served 
them  until  they  reached  Princeton,  in  the  Jerseys  ;  but  here  a 
continued  rain  of  several  days  so  completely  carried  away  the 
snow,  that  they  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  their  Boston 
bargain,  and  hire  a  carriage  with  wheels — leaving  the  honest 
Yankee  to  those  resources  which  never  yet:  deserted  one  of 
the  name  in  a  time  of  need. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1782,  Lieutenant  Barney  had  the 
happiness  to  fold  once  more  in  his  embrace  his  beloved,  delight- 
ed, and  still  blooming  wife,  after  a  separation  of  more  than 
eighteen  months,  during  which  he  had  experienced  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  wayward  fortune  in  her  extremes  of  change. 
To  add  to  his  present  felicity,  his  blushing  wife  presented  to 
him  a  young  stranger,  already  able  to  lisp  those  earliest  en- 
dearing, heart-touching  monosyllables,  '  Ma ! '  —  «  Pa  !  '  — - 
The  happiness  of  our  returned  wanderer  was  too  great  for  utter- 
ance —  he  clasped  the  dear  pledge  to  his  full  bosom,  and  the  big 
drop  of  unspeakable  ecstasy  fell  upon  the  cheek  of  the  smiling 
boy.  What  a  moment  of  rapture  for  the  young  mother  !  —  But 
such  a  scene  is  too  hallowed  to  be  lightly  touched  —  and  we 
leave  the  picture  to  the  hearts  of  our  readers. 


CHAPTER    X 


The  Command  of  the  Pennsylvania  state  ship  Hyder-Ally  is  offered  to  Barney: 

—  he  accepts  it — rapidity  with  which  he  fits  her  out  —  he  sails  down  the 
Delaware  to  convoy  a  fleet  of  merchantmen  : —  meets  the  enemy  at  the 
Capes  : —  battle  with  the  General  Monk  —  he  captures  her  in  26  minutes  :  — 
saves  his  convoy,  and  returns  to  Philadelphia  —  Anecdotes  of  the  battle  — 
coolness  of  the'  Bucks  County  men'  : —  his  reception  in  the  city.  — The  Leg- 
islature of  Pennsylvania  votes  him  a  sword. —  The  General  Monk  converted 
into  a  Packet  ■  —  her  name  changed  to  the  '  General  Washington  :' —  the 
command  of  tier  is  given  to  ht  r  captor.  —  He  sails  for  the  West  Indies  on  an 
important  expedition  —  convoys  a  fle<  t  as  far  as  the  Capes  —  the  enemy  there 
induce  the  convoy  to  return  .  —  he  gets  to  sea  by  skilful  manoeuvring:  —  en- 
gagement with  an  English   Privateer.  —  Anecdote  of  James  H.  Mc  Culloch. 

—  Arrival  at  Cape  Francois: —  state  of  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and 
Spain.  —  He  sails  for  the  Havanna  with  an  escort :  — receives  a  Wge  sum 
of  money  on  board,  and  returns  to  the  Delaware  —  incidents  of  the  voyage  :  — 
captures  a  number  of  Refugee  Barges  in  the  Bay  :  —  finds  the  convoy  he  had 
left  still  there: — their  laughable  mistake  of  his  character. —  Remaiks  on 
the  trim  of  his  ship  —  his  crew.  —  Arrival  at  Philadelphia  —  his  reception 
by  Mr  Monis. 

jt ,  - 

At  the  period  of  Lieutenant  Barney's  return  to  his  family, 
the  Delaware  Bay  and  River  were  infested  by  numerous  '  re- 
fugee barges  and  privateers,'  which  were  committing  the  most  ex- 
tensive depredations,  not  only  upon  the  commerce  of  Philadel- 
phia, but  upon  the  peaceable  inhabitants  along  the  shores  of 
every  accessible  stream  that  emptied  into  these  waters.  In 
order  to  drive  off  these  plunderers  —  who  were  protected  by 
the  presence  of  several  of  His  Majesty's  ships —  and  to  offer 
that  assistance  to  their  distressed  citizens,  which  it  was  not  in  the 
power  of  the  general  government  to  afford,  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania had  determined  to  fit  out,  at  its  own  expense,  a  number 
of  armed  vessels,  the  operations  of  which  were  to  be  confined 
within  the  great  thoroughfare  to  their  capital.  Five  days  after 
Lieutenant  Barney's  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  he  was  honored 
with  the  offer  of  the  command  of  one  of  the  vessels  to  be  equip- 
ped —  a  small  ship,  mounting  16  six-pounders,  and  carrying 
110  men,  called  the   '  Hyder-Ally.'*     He  did  not,  as  may  be 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  \r    ^ 


MEMOIR  OP  COMMODORE  BARiNEV.  113 

Supposed,  hesitate  one  moment  to  accept  the  command,  and  to 
place  himself  at  the  disposal  of  the  state  authorities,  from  whom  he 
had  received  so  many  marks  of  kindness.  —  He  entered  immedi- 
ately upon  the  duties  of  the  command  —  the  ship  was  to  be  yet 
equipped  and  manned,  but  with  active  superintendence  and  will- 
ing hands  this  is  an  affair  that  may  be  soon  despatched.  On  the 
8th  of  April,  1782  —  only  eighteen  days  after  the  happy  reu- 
nion with  his  family,  and  thirteen  after  he  took  the  command  — 
the  Hyder-Ally  was  ready  to  proceed  on  her  destined  service. 
The  instructions  under  which  Captain  Barney  acted  were  very- 
plain  and  circumscribed  —  he  was  to  convoy  a  fleet  of  merchant- 
men to  the  capes,  but  on  no  account  to  proceed  to  sea  ;  k 
being  the  intention  of  the  state  simply  to  protect  its  own  people, 
within  its  own  waters,  and  chiefly  from  the  annoyance  of  the 
'  refugee  boats.'  The  convoy  dropped  down  to  Cape  May 
road  ;  and  while  lying  there,  waiting  for  a  fair  wind  to  take  them 
to  sea,  two  ships  and  a  brig  were  discovered  standing  for  them. 
Captain  Barney,  perceiving  them  to  be  a  part  of  the  enemy's 
force,  made  the  signals  to  his  convoy  to  get  under  way  immedi- 
ately and  return  up  the  Bay  —  orders  which  they  were  not  slow 
in  obeying,  with  the  exception  of  one  ship,  which  was  armed  ; 
and  her  commander  very  gallantly  determined  to  abide  the  issue 
—  he  hailed  Captain  Barney,  therefore,  and  made  known  his 
intention,  in  case  of  an  engagement,  'to  stick  by  him  I'  —  a  prom- 
ise, by  the  way,  which,  we  might  as  well  say  at  once,  he  prevent- 
ed himself  from  redeeming  by  running  his  ship  aground  on  the 
Cape  May  shore,  in  his  eagerness  to  get  to  sea  as  soon  as  the 
action  commenced  ;  in  this  situation,  his  crew  jumped  ashore 
from  the  end  of  the  jib-boom  and  made  their  escape,  and  the 
ship  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

Captain  Barney  kept  astern  of  his  convoy,  watching  the  mo- 
tions of  the  enemy  with  all  the  eagerness  and  anxiety  natural  to 
so  important  a  trust  —  he  saw  that  the  brig  and  one  of  the  ships 
were  following  him  into  the  Cape  May  channel,  while  the  other 
ship  (a  frigate)  was  manoeuvring  to  run  ahead  by  the  other 
channel  and  thus  cut  off  the  progress  of  the  convoy  up  the  bay. 
His  only  hope  for  the  safety  of  his  convoy  was,  that  the  enemy 
would  first  direct  their  attention  to  him,  and  that  by  a  desperate 
resistance  he  might  employ  them  long  enough  to  allow  time  for 
his  charge  to  get  beyond  their  pursuit.  For  this  purpose  he 
would  willingly  have  engaged  the  whole  of  the  enemy's  force 
at  once,  and  if  he  had  had  a  thousand  lives,  would  have  rated 
them  all  as  nothing,  if  by  their  sacrifice  he  could  gain  for  his 
convoy  the  a  1  antnge  of  one  hour's  start.  — Tiie  brig  was  the 
10* 


114 


MEMOIR  OF 


first  to  come  up  with  him,  but  it  soon  became  evident  that  it 
was  not  her  design  to  risk  an  engagement  alone  —  she  gave  him 
a  broadside  as  she  came  up,  and  passed  on.  Captain  Barney- 
did  not  return  the  fire,  determining  to  reserve  his  strength  for 
the  ship  which  was  coming  up  rapidly  — she  approached  within 
pistol-shot  without  firing,  probably  under  the  impression  that  her 
unequal  toe  wo  Id  not  venture  to  make  battle :  at  this  moment, 
however,  the  Hyder-Ally  opened  her  ports  and  gave  a  well-di- 
rected broadside,  which  spoke  her  determination  in  a  language 
not  to  be  misunderstood.  The  enemy  closed  upon  her  imme- 
diately, and  showed  a  disposition  to  board  :  at  this  critical  junc- 
ture Captain  Barney  had  the  coolness  and  presence  of  mind  to 
conceive,  and  execute  on  the  instant,  a  ruse  de guerre,  to  which  he 
was  unquestionably  indebted  for  the  brilliant  victory  that  so 
speedily  followed  —  he  gave  orders  to  the  man  at  the  helm  to 
interpret  the  next  command  he  should  give  him  aloud  a  revers, 
or  in  his  own  words  to  the  seamen,  *  by  the  rule  of  contrary.9 
At  the  moment  that  the  enemy  was  ranging  along  side  of  him — • 
a  position  which  must  have  given  him  the  full  advantage  of  his 
great  superiority  of  strength  —  Captain  Barney  called  out,  in  a 
voice  intended  to  reach  the  adverse  ship,  '  Hard  a-port  your 
helm —  do  you  want  him  to  run  aboard  of  us?'  The  ready- 
witted  seaman  understood  his  cue,  and  clapped  his  helm  hard 
q-starboard,  by  which  admirable  manoeuvre  the  enemy 'sjibboom 
caught  in  the  fore-rigging  of  the  Hyder  Ally,  and  there  remain- 
ed entangled  during  the  short  but  glorious  action  that  ensued. 
The  Hyder-Ally  thus  gained  a  raking  position,  of  which  she 
availed  herself  to  its  utmost  benefit :  the  rapidity,  well  directed 
aim,  and  vigorous  effect,  with  which  she  poured  her  fire  into 
the  entangled  ship,  are  almost  inconceivable  —  more  than  twenty 
broadsides  were  fired  in  twentysix  minutes,  and  scarcely  a  shot 
missed  its  effect ;  entering  in  at  the  starboard  bow,  and  making 
their  way  out  through  the  larboard  quarter,  the  grape,  cannister, 
and  round  shot,  all  did  their  appointed  duty  !  Such  energy  of 
action  could  not  long  be  withstood  ;  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour 
from  the  firing  of  the  first  broadside,  the  British  flag  waved  its 
proud  folds  no  longer  to  the  breeze.  There  was  no  time  for 
ceremony  on  board  the  Hyder-Ally  —  the  frigate  was  but  a  little 
way  astern,  and  coming  rapidly  up  —  Captain  Barney  did  not 
even  ask  what  ship  it  was  that  had  thus  acknowledged  him  master  ; 
but  sending  his  first  lieutenant  and  thirtyfive  men  on  board,  he  or- 
dered her  to  make  all  sail  and  push  up  the  bay,  after  the  convoy, 
while  he  himself  covered  the  rear.  The  brig,  seeing  that  the  ship 
had  struck,  and  that  the  victor  was  standing  up  the  channel  towards 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


115 


her,  ran  herself  aground  to  avoid  capture.  —  It  would  be  ridicu- 
lous to  assert,  that  Captain  Barney  was  desirous  of  a  brush  with 
the  frigate  ;  but  he  maintained  the  '  even  tenor  of  his  way,'  far 
in  the  rear  of  his  prize,  and  the  still  more  distant  convoy,  deter- 
mined not  to  let  her  pass  to  the  pursuit  of  either  without,  at  least, 
attempting  to  delay  her  for  a  few  minutes.  The  frigate  continu- 
ed the  chase  for  a  considerable  distance  up  the  bay,  but  at 
length,  towards  evening,  gave  it  up  and  dropped  her  anchor, 
making  a  signal,  as  she  did  so,  to  the  prize  ship,  which  she  did 
not  of  course  suspect  to  be  under  other  orders  —  no  doubt  be- 
lieving that,  having  taken  the  American,  she  was  now  working 
her  will  among  the  defenceless  convoy  ! 

It  was  not  until  after  the  frigate  abandoned  the  chase  and 
came  to  anchor,  that  Captain  Barney  permitted  himself  to  grat- 
ify the  curiosity,  which  it  was  but  natural  he  should  feel,  as  to 
the  name,  character,  and  force  of  his  prize.  He  now  spoke 
her  for  this  purpose  ;  and  we  may  imagine  the  exuberance  of 
delight  and  gratified  pride,  with  which  he  ascertained  her  to  be 
His  Majesty's  ship,  the  General  Monk,  mounting  20  nine 
pounders,  and  carrying  one  hundred  and  thirty  six  men,  under 
the  command  of  Captain^  Ro^lgers  of  the  Royal  Navy  !  nearly 
double  his  own  force  of  metal,  and  nearly  one  fourth  superior 
in  number  of  men  !  It  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  achieve- 
ments ever  recorded  in  the  annals  of  naval  warfare,  and  a 
victory  of  which  he  might  well  be  proud.  But  no  man  ever 
bore  such  honors  more  meekly  than  Captain  Barney ;  he 
rejoiced  in  his  success,  but  it  was  more  because  it  had  insured 
the  safety  of  the  valuable  fleet  entrusted  to  his  convoy,  than 
because  of  any  anticipation  that  it  would  encircle  his  own  brow 
with  a  never-dying  wreath  of  glory.  —  Prompted  by  that  ever- 
ready  humanity,  which  so  honorably  characterized  his  treat- 
ment of  a  conquered  foe  —  though  he  had  experienced  so 
little  of  it  in  his  own  person  —  he  inquired  immediately  into 
the  sufferings  of  the  crew,  and  heard  with  regret,  that  the  Gen- 
eral Monk  had  lost  20  men,  killed,  and  had  33  wounded. 
Among  the  former  were  the  First  Lieutenant,  Purser,  Surgeon, 
Boatswain  and  Gunner  —  among  the  latter  were  Captain  Rod- 
gers  himself,  and  every  officer  on  board  except  one  midship- 
man !  The  Hyder  Ally  had  four  men  killed,  and  eleven 
wounded  —  a  comparative  disparity  of  loss  even  greater  than 
the  inverse  disparity  of  force.  * 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  II.  for  the  enemy's  account  of  the  battle,  called  a 
•  modest'  one ! 


116  MEMOIR  OP 

We  mention  as  an  extraordinary  evidence  of  the  vigorous 
attack  of  the  Hyder-AUy,  that  in  the  mizen-stay-sail  of  the 
General  Monk,  (which  sailors  well  know  to  be  of  but  small 
dimensions)  there  were  counted  exactly  three  hundred  and 
sixtyfive  shot  holes  !  It  was  looked  upon  as  so  great  a  curi- 
osity, that  one  of  the  principal  sail-makers  of  Philadelphia 
afterwards  begged  it  of  Captain  Barney,  and  made  a  considera- 
ble sum  by  exhibiting  it  in  his  sail  loft  to  the  curious. 

Many  incidents  occurred  during  the  heat  of  this  rapid  and 
vigorous  action  which  are  well  worthy  of  notice  :  —  Captain 
Barney,  in  order  that  he  might  the  better  see  all  that  was  going 
on  and  regulate  his  movements  accordingly,  remained  standing 
upon  the  binnacle  during  the  whole  action,  in  the  most  ex- 
posed point  of  his  quarter-deck,  particularly  to  the  fire  of  the 
musketry  from  the  enemy's  tops.  On  one  occasion,  a  ball 
passed  through  his  hat,  just  grazing  the  crown  of  his  head  — 
another  tore  off  a  part  of  the  skirt  of  his  coat :  seeing  himself 
thus  the  aim  of  the  small  arms,  he  called  to  Mr  Scull,  his 
marine  officer,  (whose  men  were  all  Buck's  County  riflemen, 
who  had  never  before  been  on  board  a  ship — )  and  ordered 
him  to  direct  his  fire  into  the  top  from  which  he  was  so  much 
annoyed ;  the  order  was  promptly  executed,  and  with  such 
good  aim  that  every  shot  brought  down  its  man.  —  A  few 
minutes  after  this,  one  of  hese  brave  fellows,  who  was  much 
better  acquainted  with  the  use  of  his  rifle  than  with  the  rules  of 
subordination,  called  out  to  Captain  Barney,  with  a  coolness  of 
tone  and  familiarity  of  manner  that  evinced  anything  but  intend- 
ed disrespect:  —  'Captain!  do  you  see  that  fellow  with  the 
white  haty  and  firing  as  he  spoke,  Captain  Barney  saw  the 
poor  fellow  '  with  the  white  hat'  make  a  spring  at  leas  three 
feet  from  the  deck,  and  fall  to  rise  no  more.  '  Captain  ! '  con- 
tinued the  marksman,  '  that  's  the  third  fellow  I've  made  hop  ! ' 
—  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  highly  indicative  of  the  deliberate 
coolness  of  these  Buck's  County  men,  that  every  man  of  the 
enemy  who  was  killed  by  the  small  arms,  was  found  to  have 
been  shot  in  the  head  or  breast  —  so  true  and  deadly  was  their 
aim.  —  While  Captain  Barney  continued  standing  on  the 
binnacle  he  observed  one  of  his  officers,  with  the  cook's  axe 
in  his  hand,  in  the  very  act  of  raising  it  to  cleave  the  head  of 
one  of  his  own  men,  who  had  deserted  his  gun  and  skulked 
behind  the  mainmast  —  at  this  instant  a  round  shot  from  the 
enemy  struck  the  binnacle  from  under  his  feet  and  he  fell  upon 
the  deck ;  the  officer,  seeing  his  captain  fall,  and  naturally  sup- 
posing that  he  was  wounded,  threw  down  the  axe  and  ran  to 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  1 17 

his  assistance,  but  by  the  time  he  reached  the  spot  Captain 
Barney  had  recovered  his  feet,  unhurt  —  and  the  officer  very 
deliberately  picked  up  the  axe  again  to  execute  his  purpose 
upon  the  head  of  the  coward  :  he  found  him  now  fighting  as 
bold  and  fearlessly  as  the  bravest  of  the  crew  !  —  Joseph  Bed- 
ford, a  brother  of  Captain  Barney's  wife,  was  a  volunteer  in 
the  Hyder-Ally,  and  behaved  with  great  gallantry :  he  was 
stationed  in  the  main-top,  and  received  a  severe  wound  in  the 
groin,  the  effects  of  which  he  never  entirely  recovered  ;  but  it 
is  worthy  of  remark,  as  an  extraordinary  circumstance,  that  he 
did  not  feel  his  wound,  or  know  that  he  was  hurt,  until  he  had 
descended  from  the  top,  upon  deck,  after  the  action  was  over — - 
he  then  fell,  exhausted  from  the  loss  of  blood,  and  was  carried 
below.  * 

The  action  was  so  vigorously  rapid  and  short,  and  its  result 
so  little  expected  on  the  part  of  the  adversary,  that  he  had 
either  not  time,  or  not  sufficient  presence  of  mind,  to  think  of 
destroying  his  book  of  signals  —  an  oversight  of  which  Captain 
Barney  quickly  availed  himself;  and  it  was  probably  owing  to 
this  circumstance  that  the  frigate  (the  Quebec)  so  soon  discon- 
tinued the  chase  and  anchored.  Immediately  after  the  action, 
he  ordered  the  British  flag  to  be  rehoisted  on  board  the  Gen- 
eral Monk,  and  his  own  to  Iip  hauled  down  nn  board  the  Hyder- 
Ally  —  the  Quebec,  therefore,  had  good  grounds  for  believing 
that  His  Majesty's  ship  had  been  victorious. 

It  gives  us  no  pleasure  to  turn  from  these  little  anecdotes,  so 
characteristic  of  American  courage  and  coolness  in  the  midst  of 
danger,  to  record  one  of  a  very  different  character.  —  When 
Captain  Barney's  first  lieutenant  went  on  board  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  General  Monk,  after  her  surrender,  the  British 
captain,  in  his  presence,  ordered  one  of  his  attendants  to  bring 
him  up  his  fowling-piece  from  the  cabin  —  a  very  splendid 
silver-mounted  fusil  —  which,  when  it  was  put  into  his  hands, 
he  threw  overboard,  saying  as  he  did  so,  '  This  shall  never  be- 
come the  property  of  any  d — d  rebel ! '  j-  —  It  was  a  con- 
temptible act  of  littleness,  of  passionate  mortification,  which 
is  only  paralleled  by  that  of  the  man  who,  according  to  the 
children's  fable,  '  bit  his  own  nose  off  to  spite  his  face* !  He 
might  have  saved  his  honor,  and  his  fusil  into  the  bargain ;  for 
not  one  of  the  l  d — d  rebels'  would  have  desired  to  deprive 
him  of  this  favorite  piece  of  property. 

*See  Appendix,  No.  III.  for  some  additional  anecdotes  of  the  battle. 
tSee  Appendix,  No.  IV. 


118  MEMOIR  OF 

At  Chester,  on  the  Delawares  Captain  Barney  left  his  own 
ship,  and  proceeded  in  his  prize  to  Philadelphia,  that  he  might 
himself  see  the  wounded  prisoners  properly  cared  for :  he  pro- 
cured the  most  comfortable  and  respectable  lodgings  for  Cap- 
tain Rodgers,  in  the  house  of  a  Quaker  lady,  who  nursed  him 
through  his  whole  confinement  with  the  kindness  and  tender- 
ness of  a  sister:  —  this  lady  is  still  living  (November,  1831) 
in  Pine-street,  Philadelphia,  and  remembers  the  great  solicitude 
of  Captain  Barney  for  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  his  captive. 
—  Having  attended  to  this  duty,  he  ran  home  for  a  single  mo- 
ment to  snatch  a  kiss  from  his  wife  and  boy,  and  returned  im- 
mediately to  Chester,  without  waiting  to  receive  any  of  the 
cheers  and  congratulations  with  which  the  citizens  were  ready  to 
greet  him  on  every  side.  H:s  whole  convoy  had  returned  in 
safety,  with  the  exception  of  the  ship  already  mentioned,  and  a 
brig  which  unfortunately  got  ashore  on  the  Over-falls.  From 
Chester,  he  proceeded  again  down  the  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  prospect  of  getting  his  convoy  to  sea.  In  the 
course  of  the  trip  he  captured  a  refugee  schooner,  called  the 
'Hook 'em  Snivey,'  and  meeting  with  nothing  else  in  the  Bay, 
he  returned  once  more  to  Philadelphia,  to  enjoy  the  triumphs 
prepared  for  him.  The  capture  of  the  General  Monk  and  the 
Hook  'em  Snivey7  struck  a  panic  into  the  refugees,  which 
prevented  them  for  a  long  time  afterwards  from  trusting  any  of 
their  barges  on  the  Delaware.  The  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Captain  Barney,  and  ordered 
a  gold-hilted  sword  to  be  prepared,  which  was  afterwards  pre- 
sented to  him,  in  the  name  of  the  State,  by  Governor  Dickin- 
son. It  was  a  small  sword,  with  mountings  of  chased  gold  — 
the  guard  of  which,  on  the  one  side  had  a  representation  of  the 
Hyder-Ally,  and  on  the  other  the  General  Monk,  the  sails  of 
each  ship  set  as  in  the  action  —  the  latter  ship  in  the  act  of 
striking  her  flag.  Their  hulls,  sails,  masts,  spars  and  rigging, 
were  all  beautifully  delineated  by  the  artist,  in  open  work,  re- 
sembling the  ivory  fans  of  the  Chinese.* 

Ballads  were  made  upon  the  brilliant  victory  and  sung  through 
the  streets  of  Philadelphia, f  and  the  name  of  the  gallant  Bar- 
ney was  in  every  mouth,   *  familiar  as  household  words.' 

*  See  Appendix,  No  V. 

t  As  many  of  our  readers  may  never  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
how  such  things  were  managed  in  «  days  of  old;'  we  copy  for  their  amuse- 
ment, from  an  old  volume  of  •  Freneau's  Poems'  published  in  1786,  the 
following  songs,  composed  on  the  occasion  by  our  revolutionary  Poet  Laureat. 
Their  deficiencies  in  harmony  and  poetical  merit,  will  be  readily  forgiven, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  119 

At  the  sale  of  the  General  Monk,  which  was  made  very  soon 
after  her  capture,   the  United  States  became  the  purchasers ; 

for  the  spirit  of  patriotism  and  liberty  that  breathes  through  every  line. 
The  first,  it  appears,  was  written  while  the  Hyder-Ally  was  being  fitted 
out,  and  there  ran  be  no  doubt  that  it  produced  its  effect  in  enabling  Captain 
Barney  to  fill  up  his  crew  in  so  short  a  time. 


Come,  all  ye  lads  that  know  no  fear, 
To  wealth  and  honor  we  will  steer 
In  the  Hyder-Ally  Privateer, 
Commanded  by  bold  Barney. 

She  's  new  and  true  and  tight  and  sound, 
Well  rigg'd  aloft  and  all  well  found  — 
Come  and  be  with  laurel  crown'd  — 
Away  and  leave  your  lasses  ! 

Accept  our  terms  without  delay, 
And  make  your  fortunes  while  you  may  — 
Such  offers  are  not  every  day 
In  the  power  of  the  jolly  sailor. 

Success  and  fame  attend  the  brave, 
But  death  the  coward  and  the  slave  — 
Who  fears  to  plough  the  Atlantic  wave 
To  seek  out  bold  invaders  ? 

Come  then  and  take  a  cruising  bout  — 
Our  ship  sails  well,  there  is  no  doubt ; 
She  has  been  tried  both  in  and  out, 
And  answers  expectation. 

Let  no  proud  foes  that  Britain  bore 
Distress  our  trade,  insult  our  shore  — 
Teach  them  to  know  their  reign  is  o'er, 
Bold  Philadelphia  sailors  ! 

We'll  teach  them  how  to  sail  so  near, 
Or  venture  on  the  Delaware, 
When  we  in  warlike  trim  appear, 
And  cruisa  without  Henlopen. 

Who  cannot  wounds  and  battle  dare, 
Shall  never  clasp  the  blooming  fair; 
The  brave  alone  their  charms  shall  share 
The  brave,  and  their  protectors! 

With  hand  and  heart  united  all 
Prepared  to  conqueror  to  fall, 
Attend,  my  lads!  to  honor's  call  — 
Embark  in  our  Hyder-Ally  ! 

From  an  Eastern  Prince  she  takes  her  name3 
Who,  smit  with  freedom's  sacred  flame, 
Usurping  Britons  brought  to  shame, 
His  country's  wrongs  avenging. 


120 


MEMOIR  OP 


her  name  was  changed  to  that  of  the  General  Washington; 
and  through  the   interest  of  Mr  Robert   Morris  —  one  of  his 

See  on  her  stem  the  brilliant  stars  — 
Inured  to  blood,  inured  to  wars, 
Come  enter  quick,  my  jolly  tars, 
To  scourge  these  haughty  Britons ! 

Here  's  grog  enough  !  then  drink  a  bout! 
I  know  your  hearts  are  fiim  and  stout ; 
American  blood  will  ne'er  give  out  — 
And  often  we  have  proved  it ! 

Though  stormy  oceans  round  us  roll, 
We'll  ke^p  a  firm  undaunted  soul, 
Befriended  by  the  cheering  bowl, 
Sworn  foes  to  melancholy  ! 

While  timorous  landsmen  lurk  on  shore, 
'Tis  ours  to  go  where  cannons  roar  — 
On  a  coasting  cruise  we'll  go  once  more, 
Despisers  of  all  danger  — 

And  fortune  still,  that  crowns  the  brave 
Shall  guard  us  o'er  the  gloomy  wave  — 
A  fearful  heart,  betrays  a  knave  ! 
Success  to  the  Hyder-Ally  ! 

The  next  was  written  a  few  days  after  the  battle,  and  is  entitled  a  '  Song 
on  Captain  Barney's  victory  over  the  ship  General  Monk.'  We  regret,  that 
it  is  not  in  our  power  to  indicate  the  music  to  which  these  ballads  were  sung 
—  all  our  endeavors  have  failed  to  rescue  it  from  the  '  tomb  of  the 
Capulets' !  — 

SONG,    &IC. 

O'er  the  waste  of  waters  cruising, 

Long  the  General  Monk  had  reign'd, 
All  subduing,  all  reducing  — 

None  her  lawless  rage  restrain'd ! 
Many  a  brave  and  hearty  fellow, 

Yielding  to  this  warlike  foe, 
"When  her  guns  began  to  bellow, 

Struck  his  humbled  colors  low  ! 

But  grown  bold  with  long  successes, 

Leaving  the  wide  wat'ry  way, 
She,  a  stranger  to  distresses, 

Came  to  cruise  within  Cape  May:  — 

*  Now  we  soon'  (said  Captain  Rogers) 

1  Shall  the  men  of  commerce  meet ; 
In  our  hold  we'll  have  them  lodgers  — 
We  shall  capture  half  their  fleet. 

*  Lo!  I  see  their  van  appearing  — 

Back  our  topsails  to  the  mast  — 
They  toward  us  full  are  steering 

With  a  gentle  western  blast  : 
I've  a  list  of  all  .their  cargoes, 

All  their  guns,  and  all  their  men  ! 
I  am  sure  these  modern  Argos' 

Can't  escape  us,  one  in  ten  :  — 


r 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  121 

earliest  and  latest  friends  —  the  command  of  her  was  given  to 
Captain  Barney,  by  whose  unwearied  industry  and  exertions, 

«  Yonder  comes  the  "  Charming  Sally," 

Sai  ing  with  the  "  General  Greene" — 
First  we'll  fight  the  Hyder-Ally  — 

Taking  her,  is  taking  them  : 
She  intends  to  give  us  battle! 

Bearing  down  with  all  her  sail ! 
Now  boys  !  let  our  cannon  rattle ! 

To  take  her,  we  cannot  fail. — 

*  Our  twenty  guns,  each  a  nine-pounder, 

Soon  shall  terrify  this  foe; 
We  shall  maul  her,  we  shall  wound  her, 

Bringing  rebel  colors  low  !  ' 
While  he  thus  anticipated 

Conquests  that  he  could  not  gain, 
He,  in  tbe  Cape  May  channel  waited, 

For  the  ship  that  caused  his  pain. 

Captain  Barney  then  preparing, 
Thus  address'd  his  gallant  crew: 

*  Now,  brave  lads !  be  bold  and  daring  ! 

Let  your  hearts  be  firm  and  true  ! 
This  is  a  proud  English  cruiser, 

Roving  up  and  down  the  main  : 
"We  must  fight  her  —  must  reduce  her, 

Tho'  our  decks  be  strew'd  with  slain. 

'  Let  who  will  be  the  survivor, 

We  must  conquer  or  must  die  — 
We  must  take  her  up  the  river, 

Whate'er  comes  of  you  or  I !  — 
Tho'  she  shows  most  formidable 

With  her  twenty  pointed  nines. 
And  her  quarters  clad  in  sable  — 

Let  us  balk  her  proud  designs  ! 

*  We  with  our  sixteen  sixes 

Will  face  the  proud  and  daring  band  : 
Let  no  dangers  damp  your  courage, 

Nothing  can  the  brave  withstand  ! 
Fighting  for  your  country's  honor, 

Now  to  gallant  deeds  aspire  ! 
Helmsman  !  bear  us  down  upon  her 

Gunner  !  give  the  word  to  fire  ! ' 

Then  yard-arm  and  yard-arm  meeting 

Straight  began  the  dismal  fray  : 
Cannon  mouths  each  other  greeting, 

Belch'd  their  smoky  flames  away : 
Soon  the  langrage,  grape  and  chain-shot, 

That  from  Barney's  cannon  flew, 
Swept  the  Monk,  and  clear'd  each  round-top, 

Kill'd  and  wounded  half  the  crew. 

Captain  Rogers  strove  to  rally 
His  men,  from  their  quarters  fled, 
11 


122 


MEMOIR  OF 


she  was  soon  put  in  a  condition  for  service.*     Sealed  instruc- 
tions were  put  into  his  hands,  with  orders  not  to  open  them  until 

While  the  roaring  Hyder-Ally 

Cover'do'er  his  decks  with  dead  ! 
When  from  their  tops,  their  dead  men  tumbled 

And  the  streams  of  blood  did  flow, 
Then  their  proudest  hopes  were  humbled 

By  their  brave  inferior  foe. 

All  aghast  and  all  confounded, 

They  beheld  their  champions  fall, 
And  their  captain  sorely  wounded, 

Bade  them  quick  for  quarters  call. 
Then  the  Monk's  proud  flag  descended, 
I  And  his  cannon  ceased  to  roar  — 

By  her  crew  no  more  defended, 
She  confess'd  the  conquest  o'er. 

Come,  brave  boys,  and  fill  your  glasses  \ 

You  have  humbled  one  proud  foe  : 
JVo  brave  action  this  surpasses! 

Fame  shall  tell  the  nations  so  — 
Thus  be  Britain's  woes  completed  ! 

Thus  abridged  her  cruel  reign  ! 
Till  ?he,  ever  thus  defeated, 

Yields  the  sceptre  of  the  main  ! 

We  deem  it   proper  to  add,  as   a  part  of  the  history  of  this  brilliant  affair, 
probably  not  known  to  a  great  many  of  our  readers,  that  a  Painting,  by  no 
means  destitute  of  merit  —  representing  the  action  between  the  Hyder-Ally 
and  the  General  Monk,  was  executed  in  Paris,  by  order  of  Commodore  Bar- 
ney, while  in  the  service  of  the  French  Republic,  and  presented  by  him, 
on  his  return  to  the  United  States,  to  Robeit  Smith,  Esq.  then  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  :  the  picture,  we  believe,  now   hangs  in  the   Secretary's  room. 
The  painting  was  accompanied  hy  a  description,  in  the  hand-writing  of  Com- 
I     modore  Barney,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  ;  — '  This  action  took  place 
v      at  the  entrance  of  the   Delaware  Bay,  April  8th,  17S2.     On  the  left  of  the 
painting  appears  Cape  Henlopen  Light  House,  and  on  the  right  the  point  of 
Cape  May.     In  the  centre  are  represented  the  Hyder-Ally  and  the  General 
Monk  engaged,  the  latter  in  the  act  of  stiiking  her  colois.     The  Hyder-Ally 
x  -■  mounted  sixteen  guns,  six  pounders,  and  had  one  hundred  and  ten  men,  — 

the  Monk  twenly  guns,  nine  pounders,  with  one  hundred  and  thirtysix  men; 
the  former  had  four  men  killed  and  eleven  wounded,  the  latter  twenty  kill- 
ed and  thiitythree  wounded.  The  action  lasted  twentysix  minutes.  The 
frigate  in  the  foreground  is  the  Quebec,  which  not  finding  sufficient  water 
in  the  Cape  May  channel,  was  obliged  to  go  round  the  shoals,  called  the 
Over-falls,  in  order  to  get  into  the  Bay,  during  which  time  the  action  took 
place.  To  the  right  of  the  ships  engaged,  the  brig  Fair  American,  of  six- 
teen guns,  after  firing  a  broadside  into  the  Hyder-Ally  in  passing  her,which 
was  not  returned,  is  seen  chasing  and  firing  at  one  of  her  convoy,  which, 
however,  escaped  under  the  Jersey  shore.  The  ship  aground  on  Cape  May 
is  an  American   merchantman,  one  of  the  convoy,  that,  in  endeavoring  to 


*  By  referring  to  Appendix,  No  I.  the  reader  will  perceive  a  slight  differ- 
ence in  the  account  there  given  of  this  transaction.  It  is  probable  the  lat- 
ter is  the  more  correct  statement,  but  we  did  not  deem  it  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  require  the  trouble  of  writing  a  page  over  again. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  123 

he  reached  a  certain  latitude  at  sea.  He  sailed  from  Philadel- 
phia in  company  with  fifteen  or  sixteen  other  vessels,  all  let- 
ters of  marque  and  privateers,  bound  to  sea,  or  cruisers  on 
commercial  expeditions,  and  all  under  his  convoy  —  so  that 
he  was  now  fairly  entitled  to  be  called  '  Commodore'  —  as,  in 
fact,  he  was,  from  this  period.  Upon  reaching  the  Capes,  they 
discovered  three  frigates  in  the  offing,  the  sight  of  which  so 
alarmed  the  convoy,  that  they  every  one  put  about  and  returned 
up  the  Bay,  leaving  the  Commodore  to  himself.  He  manoeu- 
vred so  as  to  keep  the  frigates  at  a  distance  during  the  day,  and 
in  the  night  succeeded  in  getting  out  to  sea.  One  of  the  frig- 
ates gave  chase  on  the  following  day,  but  the  Washington  out- 
sailed her,  and  soon  got  beyond  pursuit. 

Before  we  proceed  to  look  at  Captain  Barney's  instructions, 
we  cannot  in  justice  omit  to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to 
the  extraordinary  and  almost  unexampled  celerity  of  action 
which  distinguished  every  enterprise  of  this  energetic  and  inde- 
fatigable officer.  It  was  on  the  21st  of  March,  1782,  as  we 
have  seen,  that  he  arrived  at  home,  after  an  absence  of  more 
than  a  year  and  a  half,  and  a  series  of  alternate  suffering  and 
romantic  adventure  more  than  make  up  the  lives  of  a  dozen 
modern  heroes  —  on  the  8th  of  April,  eighteen  days  after- 
wards —  having  in  the  interval  performed  the  arduous  labor  of 
equipping  and  manning  the  ship  —  his  action  took  place  with 
the  General  Monk  :  —  an  action  of  twentysix  minutes'  duration, 
to  gain  an  eternity  of  fame  !  —  On  the  18th  of  May,  we  find 
him  again  ready  for  sea,  in  the  captured  ship,  which  in  the 
meantime  had  changed  owners,  was  called  the  Washington,  and 
undergone  the  most  extensive  repairs,  and  the  after  equipment 
of  which  he  himself  had  superintended  !  —  It  is  possible  we 
may  attach  more  credit  than  it  deserves  to  this  promptitude  of 
movement;  and  that  we  may  err,  from  a  too  limited  acquain- 
tance with  our  naval  history,  in  supposing  it  to  have  been  alto- 
gether unmatched  :  but  it  is  certain,  our  reading  has  supplied 
us  with  no  example,  either  in  our  own  or  any  other  service,  of 
such  performances  in  the  same  space  of  time.  It  was  so  com- 
mon, however,  with  Commodore  Barney,  to  labor  with  heart 
and  soul  at  everything  he  undertook,  that  he  did  not  appear 
himself  to  be  conscious  there  was  anything  extraordinary  in  the 

escape  by  getting  to  sea,  ran  ashore,  when  the  crew  abandoned  her.  The 
brig  to  the  right  of  the  frigate  is  likewise  an  American,  and  one  of  the  con- 
voy; she  got  aground  on  thev0ver-falls  and  was  taken  possession  of,  after 
some  resistance,  by  an  armed  boat  from  the  Monk.  The  vessels  at  a  dis- 
tance, in  the  back  ground,  ate  the  convoy  of  the  Hyder-Ally  standing  up 
the  bay.  The  white  water  between  the  frigate  and  the  brig  aground,  re- 
presents the  Over-falls.' 


124 


MEMOIR  OF 


effects  of  such  ardor,  and  so  little  attention  did  he  pay  to  the 
instances  we  have  just  adduced,  his  journal  does  not  even  re- 
cord the  dates,  by  which  alone  their  importance  could  be  judg- 
ed;—  and  we  are  indebted  to  his  private  orders  and  letters  of 
instruction,  for  information  of  the  several  epochs  we  have 
thought  proper  to  note.  —  But,  let  us  return  to  the  progress  of 
the  narrative. 

The  moment  Captain  Barney  was  relieved  from  the  appre- 
hension of  further  pursuit  by  the  frigate,  he  retired  to  his  cabin 
to  break  the  seal  of  his  instructions.*     The  private  orders  he 

*  The  following  is  the  letter  from  the  Commissioners  which  accompanied 
the  sealed  packet.  It  was  received  on  the  day  ot  its  date,  and  in  a  few 
hours  afterwards,  the  ship  was  under  way. 

4  Philadelphia,  1 8th  May,  1782. 
'  Capt.  Joshua  Barney, 

1  Sir, —  Immediately  on  receipt  of  this,  you  will  take  the  first  prudent  op- 
portunity of  proceeding  to  sea  with  the  ship  under  your  command.  The 
packet  which  accompanies  this  is  not  to  be  opened  until  you  get  about  forty 
leagues  to  sea,  keeping  as  much  to  the  eastward  as  circumstances  will  ad- 
mit, always  keeping  the  packet  slung  with  weights  sufficient  to  sink  it  in 
case  of  your  falling  in  with  an  enemy  of  superior  force  ;  to  this  matter  we 
request  you  will  pay  particular  attention  as  the  despatches  are  of  the  ut- 
most consequence. 

'When  you  are  clear  of  the  land  the  distance  above  mentioned,  you  will 
then  open  such  packages  as  are  directed  to  yourself,  among  which  you  will 
find  instructions  from  The  Honble.  Robert  Morris,  Superintendent  of  Fi- 
nance for  the  United  States  of  America,  whose  directions  and  orders  you 
are  as  strictly  to  observe  and  obey,  as  if  they  were  from  us. 

1  We  flatter  ourselves  that  every  exertion  will  be  used  on  your  part  to  ren- 
der this  business  effectual,  and  should  you  be  fortunate  enough  to  succeed  in 
this  matter,  it  cannot  fail  of  reflecting  great  honor  on  yourself. 

1  Should  you  be  in  want  of  any  necessaries  or  supplies  while  abroad,  you 
will  draw  on  us  for  the  amount. 

We  wish  you  a  great  deal  of  happiness, 
And  are,  Sir, 
Your  most  humble  servants, 

John  Patton, 
(Signed)  Francis  Gurnet, 

William  Allisbone.' 
Letter  from  the  Hon.  Robert  Mor.is  to  Captain  Barney,  referred  to  in  th« 
above. 

■  Marine  Office,  18th  May,  1782. 

'  Sir,  —  I  expect  that  when  you  open  these  instructions,  you  will  be  clear 
of  the  Capes,  and  I  hope  with  a  prospect  of  escaping  from  the  enemy's 
cruisers:  but  should  you  unfortunately  be  taken,  you  must  sink  your  des- 
patches, which  you  will  keep  in  readiness  for  that  purpose.  You  are  to 
proceed  directly  to  Cape  Francois  in  Hispaniola,  and  if  the  French  and 
Spanish  fleets  should  not  be  there,  you  must  proceed  to  the  place  where 
they  may  be;  and  when  you  shall  have  found  them,  you  are  to  deliver  to 
the  French  and  Spanish  admirals  the  inclosed  letters.  I  expect,  that  in 
consequence  of  these  letters,  a  frigate  will  be  ordered  to  convoy  you  to  the 
Havana,  and  thence  to  America.  You  will  go  to  the  Havana,  where  you 
will  deliver  the  inclosed  letter  to  Robert  Smith,  Esquire,  Agent  for  the 
United  States  at  that  place.  You  will  also  inform  all  persons  concerned  in 
the  American  Trade,  that  you  are  bound  for  such  port  of  the  United  States 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  125 

had  received  from  the  Commissioners  of  the  State,  had  been 
well  calculated  to  excite  his  curiosity  and  prepare  him  to  ex- 
pect something  '  of  the  utmost  consequence.'  He  was  not  at  all 
pleased,  at  first,  with  the  prohibitory  clauses  of  his  instructions  : 
—  to  have  been  at  such  pains  in  equipping  a  fine  ship,  that  was 
after  all  to  trust  to  her  speed  rather  than  to  her  metal,  in  the 
event  of  meeting  an  enemy,  he  thought  far  more  degrading  than 
complimentary  to  one  who  had  given  some  evidence  of  his  ca- 
pacity to  deal  with  a  foe  ;  but  when  he  gave  himself  time  to 
reflect  upon  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  trust  confided  to 
him,  he  felt  that  his  venerable  friend  Mr  Morris,  in  selecting 
him  for  such  a  duty,  and,  in  truth,  purchasing  his  prize-ship  for 
the  very  purpose,  had  intended  to  do  him  the  highest  honor  — 
and  he  determined,  if  the  most  wary  prudence,  and  literal  obe- 
dience of  his  orders,  could  accomplish  the  object  of  his  expe- 
dition, he  would  justify  the  confidence  of  his  friend,  and  '  com- 
mand again  the  applause  of  his  country.'  —  In  addition  to  the 
precautions  which  Mr  Morris  had  recommended  in  his  letter, 
he  had  given  to  Captain  Barney  an  open  letter  addressed  to  the 
commander  of  the  Deane  frigate,  in  which  he  requested  that 
officer  to  '  accompany  him  in  the  voyage.'     The  Deane  was 

as  you  may  be  able  to  make,  and  you  will  take  on  board  your  slap,  on  freights, 
any  moneys  which  they  may  think  proper  to  ship,  but  no  goods  or  merchan- 
dize of  any  kind.  For  the  moneys  you  are  to  charge  a  freight  of  two  per- 
cent, one  half  of  which  you  shall  have,  the  other  is  to  be  applied  towards 
the  expense  of  your  voyage.  If  a  frigate  is  granted  by  the  French  admira 
to  convoy  you,  the  captain  of  her  will  be  instructed  by  the  admiral  to  re- 
ceive any  moneys  which  it  may  be  thought  proper  to  put  on  board  of  him. 
1  should  suppose  that  by  dividing  the  risk,  or  shipping  a  part  on  board  of 
each,  there  will  be  greater  safety,  than  putting  all  in  one  bottom.  You  are 
to  stay  as  short  a  time  as  possible  at  the  Havana,  and  then,  in  company  with 
the  frigate,  make  the  best  of  your  way  to  some  port  in  the  United  States. 
This  port  or  Baltimore  would  be  the  best ;  but  you  must  be  guided  by  your 
own  discretion  on  the  occasion,  together  with  such  information  as  you  may 
be  able  to  procure.  It  is  not  improbable  that  a  stronger  escort  than  one  fri- 
gate may  be  granted,  in  which  case  you  will  find  a  greater  security  ;  and  a 
division  of  the  money  among  many,  will  multiply  the  chances  for  receiving 
it.  You  arc  on  no  account  to  risk  your  ship  or  delay  your  voyage  by  chas- 
ing vessels,  making  prizes,  or  engaging,  unless  in  the  last  necessity  ;  and 
then  /  am  confident  you  will  do  your  duty,  so  as  to  command  again  the  ap- 
plause of  your  country. 

I  wish  you  a  prosperous  voyage,  and  a  speedy  return,  and  am 

Sir, 
Your  most  obedient  servant, 

Robert  Morris.' 

'  P.  R.  —  Messrs  Stephen  and  Ange  Ceronio,  at  Cape  Francois,  will  assist 
you  with  their  advice,  and  supply  what  may  be  wanted  for  the  service  of 
your  ship,  at  that  Port.  Mr  Robert  Smith  at  the  Havana,  or  incase  of 
his  absence,  the  person  who  transacts  his  business,  will  do  the  same  at  that 
port.  R.  M.' 

*  Captain  Barney.' 
11* 


*2G  kEMOIR  OF 

supposed  to  be  cruising  somewhere  in  the  track  marked  out  for 
Captain  Barney,  but  as  the  letter  remained  in  his  possession 
the  probability  is  that  he  did  not  fall  in  with  her. 

Having  made  himself  master  of  the  various  matters  embraced 
in  his  instructions,  Captain  Barney  steered  for  Cape  Francois, 
in  the  Island  of  Hispaniola.  Off  Turk's  Island,  he  fell  in 
with  a  privateer  brig,  of  16  guns,  under  enemy's  colors,  to 
which  —  as  it  did  not  take  him  out  of  his  course,  and  there- 
fore could  not  '  delay  his  voyage'  —  he  gave  chase  :  the  brig 
finding  her  attempt  to  escape  impracticable,  as  the  Washing- 
ton was  the  fastest  sailer,  came  to  the  resolution '  of  making 
battle,  and  exchanged  several  broadsides,  one  of  her  shot  a 
nine  pounder,  unfortunately  passed  through  the  main-mast  of 
the  General  Monk,  and  another  cut  away  the  head  of  her  mizen- 
mast,  so  that  Captain  Barney  was  compelled,  even  at  the 
moment  the  privateer  was  hauling  down  her  colors,  to  bear  up 
for  the  wind  in  order  to  save  his  mast  —  the  privateer  took  ad- 
vantage of  this  preventive  movement,  suddenly  hauled  her  wind, 
and  made  her  escape.  Captain  Barney  lost  one  man  in  the  skir- 
mish. On  the  same  day  he  captured  an  enemy's  brig  laden 
with  rum,  which  he  sent  on  before  him  to  Cape  Francois  — 
where   he   arrived  himself  without  further  incident. 

We  cannot  omit  to  notice  here  an  instance  of  cool  and  im- 
perturbable bravery,  which  excited  the  particular  attention  of 
Captain  Barney,  while  preparing  to  bring  his  ship  into  action  : 
it  was  so  like  his  own  characteristic  intrepidity,  that  it  won  his 
lasting  admiration.  But  even  while  we  have  determined  to  re- 
late it,  we  tremble  lest  we  should  offend  the  retiring  modesty  of 
the  individual,  who  was  the  subject  of  it,  and  who  still  lives  to 
take  a  warm  interest  in  everything  that  belongs  to  the  history  of 
his  country  :  we  know  his  unfeigned  dislike  of  all  personal  com- 
pliment, and  would  be  the  last  to  offend  his  delicacy,  if  we 
were  not  prompted  by  a  sense  of  obligation  as  faithful  biogra- 
phers. As  soon  as  Captain  Barney  found  that  there  would  be 
an  engagement,  he  turned  to  one  of  his  passengers,  who  was 
calmly  walking  the  deck,  and  requested  him  to  go  below, 
where  he  would  be  out  of  danger :  the  gentleman  looked  at 
him,  with  a  slight  curl  of  indignation  moving  his  upper  lip, 
but  did  not  move.  Soon  afterwards,  in  the  preparation  for 
action,  Barney  observed  him  at  the  arms-chest,  deliberately  ex- 
amining the  muskets,  which  he  took  up  one  after  another, 
brought  to  his  shoulder,  examined  their  flints,  and  snapped  to  see 
if  they  made  good  fire,  until  at  length  he  found  one  that  seemed 
to  please  him  :  he  then  fixed  a  cartridge  box  over  his  shoulder, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  -  127 

very  coolly  tied  a  handkerchief  around  his  head,  and  was  the  first 
man  that  tired  into  the  enemy.  During  the  whole  of  the  fighting 
he  took  his  post  in  that  part  of  the  ship  which  was  most  exposed 
to  the  enemy's  fire,  and  in  the  very  heat  of  it.  his  musket  hav- 
ing made  a  false  snap,  he  seated  himself  with  the  most  perfect 
sang  froid  upon  the  arms-chest,  took  a  knife  or  key  from  his 
pocket,  and  picked  his  flint  until  he  brought  it  again  to  a  pro- 
per edge.  He  fired  oftener  than  any  other  man  on  board,  and 
looked  the  whole  time  as  cool  and  unconcerned  as  if  he  had 
been  sitting  at  his  own  fire  side.  This  was  James  H.  McCul- 
joch  —  the  same  patriot  and  hero,  vyho  met  the  enemy  at  North 
Point  in  1814  —  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  —  now  the 
venerable  and  universally  respected  collector  of  the  Port  of 
Baltimore.* 

Had  the  recent  occurrences  in  the  West  Indies  been  known 
at  Philadelphia,  while  the  government  of  the  United  States 
were  planning  the  expedition,  it  is  hardly  probable  its  execution 
would  have  been  entrusted  to  a  single  ship  of  twenty  guns,  with  the 
chance  of  obtaining  an  escort  from  the  French  Admiral ;  and  it 
must  either  have  been  abandoned  altogether,  or  so  varied  in  its 
details,  that  success  must  have  depended  rather  upon  accident 
than  upon  the  good  management  of  the  agents  employed.  We 
may  therefore  regard  it  as  sometimes  an  advantage  in  the  oper- 
ations of  war,  that  we  are  compelled  to  act  in  ignorance  of  the 
enemy's  movements.  —  It  was  known  to  be  the  intention  of  the 
Count  de  Grasse,  to  retire  from  the  position  he  had  for  some 
time  occupied  at  Martinico,  to  Hispaniola  ;  and  our  government 
were  not  aware  of  any  power  in  the  Caribbean  seas  that  could 
prevent  the  French  Admiral  from  accomplishing  whatever  he 
purposed.  Our  Spanish  allies  lay  at  the  latter  Island,  and  the 
junction  of  the  two  fleets  would  have  placed  the  British  West 
Indies  in  their  hands :  the  fleet  of  de  Grasse  alone  was  more 
than  equal,  both  in  numbers  and  weight  of  metal,  to  the  whole 
naval  force  of  Great  Britain  in  the  West  Indies,  increased  as  it 
had  recently  been  by  the  union  of  Sir  George  Rodney's  fleet 
with  that  of  Sir  Samuel  Hood  ;  but  the  French  Admiral  thought 
it  more  prudent  to  avoid  an  engagement  until  he  could  insure  a 
decisive  result  by  joining  the  Spaniards  at  Cape  Francois.  It 
was  this  prudence  on  the  part  of  the  Count  de  Grasse  that  led  to 
the  destruction  of  his  fleet :  had  he  not,  in  his  anxiety  to  avoid 
an  encounter  with  the  British  fleet,  chosen  a  circuitous  route  from 
Martinico  to  Hispaniola,  and  thus  run  into  the   very  danger  he 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  VI /    3// 


128 


MEMOIR  OF 


wished  to  shun,  he  must  have  formed  a  junction  with  the  Span- 
ish allies,  before  it  would  have  been  possible  for  Sir  George 
Rodney,  with  all  his  vigilance  and  activity,  to  have  intercept- 
ed him.  But  the  fates  decreed  it  otherwise.  It  so  happened, 
that  on  the  very  day  that  our  gallant  friend  Barney  was  earning 
for  himself  imperishable  glory  in  the  Delaware,  (the  8th  of 
April)  the  Count  de  Grasse  weighed  anchor  from  Martinico 
upon  the  expedition  which  proved  so  disastrous  to  him  ;  and 
four  days  afterwards  that  memorable  engagement  took  place, 
which  lost  for  France  some  of  the  finest  ships  that  ever  floated 
the  ocean,  and  gained  for  Sir  George  Rodney  a  British  peer- 
age! 

When  Captain  Barney  reached  Cape  Francois,  therefore,  in- 
stead of  finding  the  Count  de  Grasse,  as  he  expected,  at  the 
head  of  an  invincible  armada,  he  found  but  a  few  French  ships, 
the  remnant  of  the  fleet,  under  Monsieur  Vaudreuil :  the 
Spanish  fleet,  however,  was  there,  entire.  He  delivered  his 
letters  to  the  two  commanders,  and  finding  that  his  skirmish  with 
the  privateer  had  destroyed  several  of  his  important  spars,  heap- 
plied  at  the  same  time  at  the  King's  Yard  for  others  to  replace 
them.  Everything  he  demanded  was  readily  supplied,  and  in  six 
days  he  reported  himself  ready  again  to  sail,  having  in  the 
course  of  that  short  time  put  in  a  new  main-mast,  mizen-mast 
and  main-yard,  sold  his  prize-brig  and  cargo,  which  had  arrived 
f  /  I  safely  two  days  after  himself,  and  distributed  the  prize  money 
i  P,  /'  among  his  crew.  —  In  compliance  with  the  letter  of  the  Ameri- 
can Superintendent  of  Finance,  the  French  Admiral  gave  Cap- 
tain Barney  an  escort, — the  Eveillee,  a  64  gun  ship  —  and 
they  sailed  together  for  the  Havana,  where  they  arrived 
in  less  than  four  days  —  the  Washington  keeping  the  lead  all 
the  way,  to  pilot  the  French  captain,  who  was  completely  un- 
acquainted with  the  navigation  through  the  old  Bahama  straits. 
On  reaching  Havana,  he  found  that  an  embargo  had  been  laid 
on  the  American  shipping  there  four  months  before  ;  and  after 
delivering  his  letters  to  the  American  agent,  Mr  Robert  Smith, 
he  made  application  to  the  Governor  to  raise  his  embargo  and 
permit  the  American  vessels  to  depart  with  him  for  the  United 
States  —  a  measure  which  that  officer  could  have  no  motive  for 
refusing.  He  remained  at  Havana  six  days,  in  which  time 
he  received  on  board  his  ship  about  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  specie,  belonging  to  private  individuals  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  obedience  to  his  instructions,  he  then 
weighed  anchor  for  the  United  States.  The  French  64  gun 
ship   continued    in   company  with  him,   and  in  five  days  after 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


129 


leaving  the  Havana,  they  arrived  off  the  mouth  of  the  Chesa- 
peake, and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  their  convoy  enter  it 
in  safety.  He  was  himself  desirous  of  entering  the  Delaware, 
on  many  accounts — he  knew  that  the  money  he  carried 
would  be  an  acceptable  acquisition  there;  and  this  public  con- 
sideration was  strongly  enforced  by  private  reasons,  which  the 
reader  will  be  at  no  loss  to  conjecture.  The  French  ship  had 
orders  to  escort  him  to  any  port  of  the  United  States  he  might 
desire  to  enter,  and  after  parting  with  their  convoy  they  both 
steered  eastward.  They  had  hardly  changed  their  course,  be- 
fore they  discovered  a  line-of-battle  ship  and  two  frigates  giving 
them  chase.  The  French  captain  ordered  the  Washington  to 
go  ahead  of  his  ship,  and  one  of  the  frigates  soon  opened  a 
chase  fire  upon  him,  which  he  returned  with  such  good  effect 
as  to  cut  away  her  fore-topmast  and  induce  her  to  shorten  sail  : 
the  other  frigate  and  line-of-battle  ship  were  fortunately  unable, 
with  all  the  sail  they  could  crowd,  to  come  up,  and  that  after- 
noon they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  in  safety. 
Here  the  captain  of  the  escort,  being  released  by  Captain  Barney 
from  the  obligation  of  further  attendance,  took  his  leave,  re- 
ceived three  hearty  cheers  from  the  Washington,  and  turned  his 
prow  towards  France. 

On  the  same  evening  Captain  Barney  entered  the  Delaware 
Bay  close  under  the  southern  shore  —  a  British  squadron  being 
in  the  offing.  He  was  favored  with  a  light  wind,  which  ena- 
bled him  to  hold  on  his  course  up  the  Bay  all  night,  and  it  would 
seem  that  his  anxiety  began  to  increase  as  the  danger  might 
be  supposed  to  lessen,  for  he  continued  to  walk  the  deck  the 
whole  night,  keeping  a  constant  look  out  on  all  sides  of  him. 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  discovered  something 
like  a  forest  of  masts  ahead  :  he  seemed  to  know  in  a  moment, 
as  if  by  instinct,  that  they  belonged  to  refugee  boats,  and 
forming  his  resolution  at  the  same  instant,  he  ordered  the  ship  to 
be  put  about  as  silently  as  possible.  This  movement  being  af- 
fected with  as  much  alertness  as  silence,  he  ordered  his  men  to 
quarters — divided  his  marines  between  the  forecastle  and 
quarterdeck —  gave  directions  that  the  guns  should  be  loaded 
with  grape  and  cannister  shot  - —  and  saw  everything  prepared 
to  let  go  the  anchor  in  a  moment.  Everything  being  thus  quietly 
arranged  for  attack,  he  ordered  the  ship  to  be  again  tacked,  and 
steering  into  the  midst  of  the  naked  forest  which  he  had  so  ac- 
curately understood,  gave  the  order  to  let  go  the  anchor,  and  open 
a  fire  on  both  sides.  The  consternation  among  the  refugees 
may  be  imagined  :  he  sunk  one  of  their  barges  with  sixty  men 


J 


130 


MEMOIR  OF 


on  board,  captured  several  others,  and  retook  five  American 
vessels  with  thirty  men  on  hoard,  which  these  heartless  robbers 
had  captured  a  few  days  before.  Two  of  the  barges  escaped, 
but  with  such  loss  and  damage  that  they  were  never  of  further 
annoyance  to  the  Bay,  which  might  now  be  said  to  be  complete- 
ly delivered  from  refugees.  He  weighed  anchor  again  imme- 
diately with  his  prizes,  and  continued  his  course  up  the  Bay. 
At  daylight  he  discovered  a  number  of  vessels  at  anchor  ahead 
of  him,  all  of  which,  with  a  celerity  of  movement  which  noth- 
ing but  fear  could  have  produced,  had  their  anchors  up  and  all 
sail  set  straining  every  nerve  to  escape  him,  without  taking  the 
trouble  even  to  look  at  his  colors.  He  outsailed  them,  bqw- 
ever,  so  much,  that  he  soon  overtook  them  and  relieved  their 
apprehensions ;  and  to  his  own  great  surprise,  he  found  them  to 
be  the  same  fleet  which  he  had  left  in  the  Bay,  thirtyfive  days 
before  !  Though  they  were  all  armed,  they  had  been  afraid  to 
venture  again  even  in  sight  of  the  Capes,  as  the  enemy's  squad- 
ron had  continued  to  occupy  their  position  just  without.  They 
said,  they  knew  the  ship  the  moment  they  saw  her,  but  not  being 
able  to  comprehend  how  it  had  been  possible  for  Captain  Barney, 
both  in  going  and  returning,  to  escape  the  enemy,  they  took  it 
for  granted  he  had  been  taken,  and  that  his  ship  had  been  sent 
back  after  them  as  a  decoy  !  — Jt  was  certainly  a  most  extraor- 
dinary piece  of  good  fortune  in  the  Washington^  twice  to  pass 
the  hostile  squadron  without  being  observed,  or  at  least  without 
being  intercepted  —  and  we  cannot  wonder  that  his  quondam 
convoy  were  unwilling  to  trust  the  evidence  of  their  senses. 

We  deem  it  of  sufficient  importance  to  mention  here,  more 
particularly  as  something  that  our  nautical  readers  —  should  we 
be  S3  fortunate  as  to  have  any  of  that  class —  may  better  un- 
derstand, perhaps,  than  we  do,  and  derive  from  it  some  practical 
information.  Captain  Barney,  who  never  omitted  a  chance  of 
ma'dng  himself  intimate  with  his  vessel,,  (if  we  may  use  such  an 
expression,)  by  looking  closely  at  her  trim,  and  comparative 
spaed  under  various  aspects  of  the  wind,  on  his  passage  home 
discovered  that  when  she  was  upon  a  wind,  and  playing  into  a 
head  sea,  the  main-stay,  after  yielding  to  the  bend  of  the  mast 
forward,  would  be  brought  up  with  a  jerk  so  as  to  endanger  its 
being  carried  away.  It  was  suggested  to  him  by  one  of  his 
quarter-masters,  that  the  sudden  strain  might  be  obviated  by 
slinging  a  weight  to  the  stay.  Fie  directed  the  experiment  to 
be  made,  by  attaching  a  small  cannon  to  the  stay,  and  it  was 
found  — or  at  least  thought  —  that  the  ship  afterwards  pitched 
with  more  ease,  and  made  better   head-way.     Captain  Barney 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


131 


watched  the  motion  of  the  weight  with  much  curiosity  —  at 
times  it  would  hang  so  low  as  nearly  to  come  in  contact  with  the 
boats  on  the  '  chocks,1  and  then  by  the  sudden  spring  of  the 
stay,  it  would  be  sent  the  whole  length  of  the  slings  above  it: 
he  was  satisfied  after  long  and  close  observation,  that  the  ship 
sailed  much  faster  when  it  was  used,  than  when  it  was  laid  aside. 
—  We  are  not  sufficiently  versed  in  nautical  affairs,  to  know 
whether  any  useful  hint  may  be  gathered  from  this  fact,  but  we 
have  not  felt  ourselves  at  liberty  to  suppress  a  professional  inci- 
dent, which  so  accomplished  a  master  thought  worth  remember- 
ing. —  His  crew  on  this  voyage  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men,  nineiysix  of  whom  were  leads-men  —  that  is  men 
who  could  '  heave  the  lead'  —  a  remarkable  fact,  which  it  may 
be  safely  asserted  never  before  occurred  in  shipping  a  crew  for 
any  vessel  :  the  consequence  was,  that  before  he  returned  he 
had  an  entire  crew  of  first  rate  seamen,  for  those  acquainted 
with  the  character  of  this  class  of  men  on  board  a  ship,  know 
that  they  invariably  become  in  a  little  time  expert  in  all  the  ar- 
cana of  a  sailor's  duty. 

On  the  day  after  his  affair  with  the  refugees,  and  the  ex- 
citement of  such  terror  among  the  detained  privateers  and 
letters  of  marque,  Captain  Barney  arrived  at  Philadelphia. 
Mr  Morris,  who  was  then  at  the  head  of  the  Marine  Board, 
as  well  as  Superintendent  of  Finance,  was  as  much  astonished 
as  he  was  gratified,  when  he  reported  himself  as  having  re- 
turned from  a  successful  execution  of  his  mission  :  he  could 
hardly  believe,  with  the  evidence  before  his  eyes,  that  the 
voyage  to  Cape  Francois,  in  Hispaniola,  thence  to  the 
Havana,  in  Cuba,  and  thence  back  to  Philadelphia,  could  be 
accomplished  in  the  space  of  thirtyfive  days.  However 
common  such  despatch  may  be  at  the  present  day,  it  was  then 
without  example  ;  such  a  thing  had  never  been  known  ;  and 
the  delighted  financier  expressed  his  sense  of  the  merit  of 
his  chosen  agent,  in  no  measured  terms  of  approbation. 

The  money  was  all  safely  landed,  and  proper  disposition 
made  of  the  prisoners  he  had  on  board,  before  Captain  Barney 
allowed  himself  to  visit  his  expecting  family.  — If  we  were  at 
all  inclined  to  be  didactical  in  the  performance  of  our  task,  we 
should  pause  here  to  deduce  a  moral,  for  the  benefit  of  our 
youthful  readers,  from  the  fact  just  mentioned  :  —  no  man  ever 
lived  who  more  freely  enjoved  the  pleasures  of  life,  in  all  their 
innocent  varieties,  than  the  subject  of  this  memoir;  but  he  had 
courage  and  resolution  to  resist  temptation,  even  in  its  most 
seductive  forms,  whenever  it  beckoned  him  from  a   duty    un- 


132  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

performed  —  and  we  may  fearlessly  assert,  that  throughout  the 
whole  of  his  brilliant  career,  he  never  once  neglected  a  task 
entrusted  to  him,  or  left  to  the  care  of  others  that  for  which  he 
feltjiimself  to  be  responsible.  —  But  we  have  neither  taste  nor 
talent  for  moralizing,  and  we  have  too  much  respect  for  our 
readers,  and  too  sincere  a  wish  to  merit  theirs  in  return,  to  abuse 
the  power  which  accident  has  put  into  our  hands. 

Among  the  first  visits  which  Captain  Barney  made,  on  his 
return  to  Philadelphia,  was  one  to  his  Quaker  friend,  to  whose 
care  he  had  confided  the  wounded  captain  of  the  General  Monk. 
We  mention  the  fact,  because  we  think  it  highly  honorable  to 
his  character.  — How  unlike  the  conduct  of  Captain  Anthony 
James  Pye  Malloy  towards  his  prisoner  !  or  that  of  the  Hon- 
orable Commander  of  the  Yarmouth,  towards  the  wretched 
sufferers  whose  fortune  it  was  to  be  conveyed  by  him  to  England  ! 
It  is  impossible  to  make  the  comparison  without  feeling  an 
honest  pride  in  the  superiority  of  our  gallant  and  noble  spirited 
countryman. 


A 


CHAPTER  XI 


Historical  Review.  —  Captain  Barney  is  sent  to  France  with  Despatches:-— 
his  Interview  with  Dr  Franklin  at  Passy  :  —  meets  Messrs  Adams,  Jay,  and 
Laurens  at  Paris  —  is  introduced  to  the  royal  family  at  Versailles  :  —  agree- 
able sojourn  at  Paris  —  returns  to  his  ship  at  L'Orient :  —  receives  a  confi- 
dential communication  from  Dr  Franklin:  —  sails  from  L'Orient  with  the 
King;  of  England's  Passport:  —  successful  manoeuvres  to  avoid  being  visited 
by  British  cruisers.  —  He  arrives  at  Philadelphia  —  brings  the  first  intelli- 
gence of  Peace  —  is  sent  by  Congress  and  eagerly  questioned  — joy  of  the 
people: — his  family — another  son  born. — -The  Treaty  arrives. — He  is 
again  despatched  to  England  and  France.  —  Curious  anecdote  of  his  Passen- 
gers. —  He  arrives  at  Plymouth  — his  feelings  on  the  occasion  :  —  gives  a 
fete  on  board  his  ship  to  his  friends,  the  Clergyman's  family  :  —  visits  the 
old  Gardener  at  Lord  Edgecombe's  :  —  interesting  discovery.  —  He  sails  for 
Havre  :  —  visits  Paris  again  for  a  few  days  :  —  returns  to  his  ship  :  —  lands 
Mr  Laurens  in  England,  and  arrives  safely  at  Philadelphia.  —  His  ship  the 
only  one  retained  in  service  :  — he  is  despatched  again  to  France.  —  Anec- 
dote of  John  Paul  Jones  :  —  Major  L'Enfant :  —  is  ordered  to  wait  at  Havre 
for  the  Minister's  despatches  :  —  withstands  every  temptation  to  visit  Paris  i 

—  sails  in  a  heavy  gale  :  —  tempestuous  and  perilous  passage  :  —  finds  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  blocked  up  with  Ice  :  —  gets  into  Annapolis  with  great  diffi- 
culty :  —  Congress  in  session  there  :  — he  lands  and  travels  on  horseback  to 
Philadelphia  :  —  state  of  the  roads  —  snow  three  feet  deep.  —  Is  ordered  to 
take  his  ship  into  Baltimore  and  sell  her  :  —  removes  his  family  to  Baltimore. 

—  Affecting  interview  with  Mr  Morris  on  the  settlement  of  his  accounts,  and 
close  of  his  service.  —  Letter  from  Mr  Laurens. 

The  several  belligerent  powers  were  by  this  time  beginning 
to  think,  that  their  resources  might  be  better  employed  than  in 
the  continuance  of  hostilities,  from  which  it  was  now  become 
manifest  that  no  party  had  anything  further  to  gain.  Great 
Britain,  indeed,  had  long  since  been  forced  to  the  reluctant  ad- 
mission, that  her  colonies  were  irrecoverably  separated  from  her ; 
and  she  had  already  shown  her  willingness  to  acknowledge  their 
independence,  provided  they  would  agree  to  abandon  their  allies 
and  form  a  separate  treaty  of  peace.  But  this  proposition  they 
had  rejected,  with  the  indignation  it  was  calculated  to  excite  in 
the  bosom  of  an  honorable  and  grateful  people,  and  had  deter- 
mined to  rise  or  fall  with  the  friends  who  had  so  magnanimously 
stepped  forth  to  their  assistance  in  a  time  of  need.  —  The  sur- 
render of  Cornwallis  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  defeat  of  the 
12 


134 


MEMOIR  OF 


Count  de  Grasse  on  the  other,  had  seemed  to  satisfy  the  two 
principal  parties  to  the  war  ;  and  hostilities  had  thenceforth  been 
but  sluggishly  carried  on.  Sir  Guy  Carleton  and  Washington 
contented  themselves  with  looking  at  each  other,  without  ventur- 
ing to  meet  —  the  former  thought  it  useless  to  attempt  any  fur- 
ther conquest  in  a  country  which  his  government  had  resolved 
to  give  up  ;  and  the  latter  felt  no  inclination  to  sport  with  the 
lives  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  soldiers,  merely  for  the  purpose 
of  adding  to  his  own  fame.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  two 
armies  had  remained  inactive  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
Such  however  was  not  the  case  with  the  naval  forces  of  the  two 
powers  :  the  ships  of  Great  Britain  still  annoyed  our  commerce 
and  blockaded  our  bays  and  rivers,  while  the  few  cruisers  be- 
longing to  the  United  States,  that  could  elude  the  vigilance  of 
the  hostile  squadrons,  occasionally  performed  some  achievement 
of  retaliation,  which  added  another  and  another  wreath  to  the 
chaplets  they  had  already  won  from  the  mistress  of  the  ocean. 
In  this  state  of  things  Catharine  of  Russia,  and  the  Emperor 
of  Germany,  believing  that  affairs  had  reached  a  crisis,  when  a 
peace  might  be  made  upon  terms  acceptable  to  all  parties,  offer- 
ed their  friendly  mediation,  which  neither  of  the  belligerents 
thought  it  prudent  to  refuse ;  and  commissioners  were  accord- 
ingly named  to  meet  at  Paris  for  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  of 
general  amity. 

It  was  about  this  period,  that  Captain  Barney  was  a  second 
time  selected  by  Mr  Morris,  for  the  execution  of  an  important 
trust.*     The  prompt  and    successful  manner  in  which  he   had 

*Copy  of  a  letter  from  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris  to  Captain  Barney  of 
the  ship  General  Washington. 

<  Marine  Office,  7th  October,  1782. 

'Sir,  —  With  this  you  will  receive  sundry  letters,  which  you  will  make 
up  in  such  manner,  that,  in  c,  se  of  capture,  they  may  be  sunk  before  you 
strike  your  colors.  I  hope,  however,  that  you  may  meet  a  happier  fate. 
You  will  make  the  first  port  which  you  can  arrive  at  in  Europe.  France 
will  bebetter  than  any  other  part.  The  various  letters  which  may  be  direct- 
ed to  private  individuals  you  will  put  in  the  Post  Office,  but  the  public  letters 
you  will  yourself  take  charge  of  and  proceed  with  all  possible  expedition  to 
Paris,  where  you  will  deliver  them.  Inclosed  are  letters  of  introduction. 
Any  necessary  expenses  for  the  ship  will  be  defrayed  by  Mr  Barclay,  the 
American  Consul,  to  whom  you  will  apply  for  that  purpose.  Ifyou  arrive  at 
L'Orient,  you  will  probably  find  him  there.  You  will  take  Mr  Franklin's 
orders  after  you  get  to  France  for  your  departure  and  destination.  He  may 
perhaps  direct  you  to  call  at  some  port  in  the  West  Indies,  in  which  case  he 
will  give  you  ample  instructions. 

'  As  your  safe  and  speedy  arrival  is  of  great  importance,  you  will  take  care 
not  to  chose  any  vessel,  but  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  everything  which 
can  either  delay  or  endanger  you. 

1 1  hope  your  expenditures  in  Europe  may  be  moderate,  for  we  can  ill  afford 
any  which  are  unnecessary,  and  I  trust  your  continuance  there  will  be  but 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


135 


performed  the  service  before  entrusted  to  him,  pointed  him  out 
as  the  proper  person  to  be  charged  with  the  delivery  of  impor- 
tant despatches,  on  the  present  occasion,  to  our  minister  atParis. 
The  opportunity  was  also  embraced  by  the  French  ambassador 
to  the  United  States,  and  with  the  approbation  of  Mr  Morris, 
M.  Laford,  the  secretary  of  M.  Lucerne,  took  passage  with 
Captain  Barney  in  the  General  Washington.  — We  are  unable 
to  sav  what  occurred  to  delay  the  departure  of  the  ship  so  long 
after'the  date  of  Mr  Morris's  letter,  but  it  appears  from  Captain 
Barney's  memoranda  that  he  did  not  leave  Philadelphia  until 
the  beginning  of  November. —  As  despatch  in  this  affair  was 
unquestionably  of  great  importance,  and  much  depended  upon 
Dr  Franklin's  receiving  the  final  instructions  of  our  government 
before  the  arrival  of  the  British  commissioners  at  Paris,  it  is  not 
improbable  that  the  transcriber  of  this  official  paper  committed 
the  error  of  putting  '  October''  for  November,  and  that  in  truth 
Captain  Barney  sailed  on  the  day  he  received  his  orders,  as  had 
been  his  custom.  —  He  was  once  more  fortunate  enough  to 
elude  the  British  squadron,  which  was  still  watching  the  mouth 
of  the  Delaware,  and  after  the  remarkably  short  passage  of 
seventeen  days,  he  arrived  safely  at  L'Orient.  Here  he  left 
his  ship,  and  proceeded  without  an  hour's  delay  to  Paris.  Dr 
Franklin  was  at  his  usual  residence  of  Passy,  a  small  village  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  great  city,  whither  our  rapid  messenger  sought 
him,  without  stopping  even  to  refresh  himself;  and  here  for 
the  first  time  he  had  the  honor  of  an  interview  with  his  venera- 
ble, and  universally  venerated,  countryman  —  the  statesman, 
philosopher,  and  patriot.  Having  delivered  his  despatches,  and 
received  a  compliment  on  his  promptitude  of  movement,  which 
was  not  the  less  welcome  from  such  lips  because  it  was  con- 
sciously deserved,  he  was  about  to  retire,  when  the  plain  hon- 
est old  printer  laid  his  hand  upon  him,  and  said  kindly,  *  No  ! 
no !  my  gallant  young  countryman,  you  are  my  prisoner  for  the 
rest  of  this  day  !  —  I  cannot  let  you  go,  until  we  see  what  my 
old  cook  can  dish  up  for  us  —  so  sit  you  down,  and  take  a  din- 
ner  with  me  en  famille  —  it  will  be  ready  in  a  few    min  utes.' 

short.  You  will  show  this  letter  to  Mr  Franklin  when  you  see  him,  and  he 
will  probably  be  able  in  some  short  time  to  determine  your  future  move- 
ments. Should  you  return  to  America  immediately,  I  think  it  will  be  safest, 
as  the  enemy  are  now  about  to  evacuate  Charleston,  and  it  will  be  in  mid- 
winter when  you  arrive,  that  you  should  fall  in  to  the  southward,  and  run  up 
the  coast  into  the  Chesapeake,  but  of  this  you  will  determine  according  to 
your  own  discretion,  and  be  directed  by  circumstances  as  they  arise. 

I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  Robert  Morris, 

1  Cxpt  Barney,  of  the  ship  General  Washington.' 


136 


MEMOIR  OP 


An  invitation,  so  given,  from  such  a  man,  was  too  great  an  hon- 
or to  be  declined,  and  Captain  Barney  drew  his  chair  to  the 
fire,  while  the  minister  busied  himself  in  reading  the  despatches 
—  The  sage  and  the  sailor  dined  tete-a-tete  :  no  man  knew  bet- 
ter than  Dr  Franklin  how  to  touch  the  '  ruling  passion'  of 
those  with  whom  he  conversed ;  and  it  is  well  known, ,  that  he 
never  omitted  an  opportunity,  while  in  France,  of  evincing  his 
admiration  of  bravery  and  patriotism  whenever  he  met  with  a 
countryman  who  had  given  evidence  of  either  in  the  long  and 
arduous  struggle  which  he  was  so  anxious  to  see  brought  to  an 
honorable  close.  The  prospect  of  affairs  at  the  present  moment, 
had  a  brighter  aspect  for  his  country  than  they  had  yet  worn, 
and  he  was  gay  and  cheerful.  Mr  Morris  had  recommended 
his  young  friend  to  the  '  particular  notice  and  attention  '  of  the 
minister  as  '  an  active,  gallant  officer,  who  had  already  behaved 
well  on  many  occasions,  and  whose  conduct  he  knew  would  do 
honor  to  those  by  whom  he  was  patronized  and  introduced.' 
The  Doctor  made  him  *  fight  all  his  battles  o'er  again,'  and 
treated  him  with  such  paternal  kindness  and  familiarity,  that 
Barney  felt  that  day  to  be  the  proudest  of  his  life  :  it  was  a 
full  recompense  for  all  his  toils  and  perils.  Before  he  took  his 
leave,  the  minister  told  him  that  he  should  allow  him  to  stay  but 
a  few  days  in  Paris,  but  would  endeavor  to  make  those  few 
agreeable  to  him,  by  presenting  him  at  the  court  of  Versailles 
and  introducing  him  to  some  of  the  distinguished  personages  in 
attendance  upon  it:  —  for  this  purpose,  he  requested  him  to 
hold  himself  in  readiness  on  the  following  evening  — '  After  that, 
my  young  hero  !'  continued  the  good  humored  old  philosopher, 
'  you  must  be  baek  to  L'Orient  with  your  accustomed  speed  ; 
for  you  have  a  large  sum  of  money  to  carry  home  with  you, 
which  our  good  friend  the  king  has  lent  us,  and  you  must  be  on 
board  your  ship  to  receive  it — -  now,  good-night !  and  God  bless 
you !' 

At  Paris,  Captain  Barney  found  his  old  friend  Mr  John 
Adams,  who,  together  with  John  Jay  and  Henry  Laurens, 
Esquires,  had  been  united  with  Dr  Franklin,  as  Commissioners 
for  treating  of  peace  with  the  British  plenipotentiary.  Mr 
Adams  gave  him  a  cordial  reception,  introduced  him  to  his 
colleagues,  and  made  the  same  offer  of  presenting  him  at 
Court  which  he  had  already  accepted  from  Dr  Franklin.  Un- 
der such  auspices,  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  he  received 
the  most  flattering  attentions  from  many  persons  of  the  highest 
distinction  in  Paris,  and  that  he  had  every  reason  to  be  de- 
lighted with  his   visit :  —  from  the  Count  d'Estaing,    Count 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  13T 

Rochambeau,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and  others  of  the 
young  nobility  who  had  served  in  the  United  States,  more  par- 
ticularly, he  received  every  mark  of  attention  and  kindness, 
that  the  most  distinguished  individual  could  have  expected.  — 
At  the  appointed  hour,  he  accompanied  the  minister  to  Versailles, 
was  presented  to  their  Majesties,  and  had  the  honor  of  kissing 
the  cheek  of  the  beautiful,  but  unfortunate,  Marie  Antoinette. 
The  Court  circle  on  this  occasion  was  principally  composed  of 
Americans,  and  the  distinguished  French  officers  who  had 
taken  a  part  in  their  campaigns ;  and  their  Majesties  seemed 
determined  to  give  as  much  as  possible  an  American  character 
to  the  entertainment,  by  introducing  the  customs  peculiar  to 
the  United  States —  tea  was  handed  around  to  the  company,  a 
refreshment  then  for  the  first  time  seen  at  a  drawing-room  in 
the  palace  of  Versailles !  and  every  effort  seemed  to  be  made 
by  this  unhappy  pair  to  evince  the  respect  in  which  they  held 
their  republican  allies.  Alas  !  how  little  did  they  then  dream, 
that  the  assistance  which  they  had  contributed  to  sever  the 
British  empire  in  America,  had  laid  the  axe  to  the  root  of  their 
own  ancient  monarchy,  and  that  the  sturdy  republicans  whom 
they  so  much  delighted  to  honor  were  unconsciously  teaching 
their  own  people  a  lesson  in  the  science  of  self-government, 
which  was  so  soon  to  bring  their  heads  to  the  block,  and  to 
deluge  France  with  blood  ! 

In  obedience  to  the  minister's  injunction,  Captain  Barney- 
returned  immediately  to  L'Orient,  where  he  arrived  in  time  to 
receive  on  board  the  promised  money,  which  consisted  of  numer- 
ous chests  of  gold  and  barrels  of  silver.  From  this  moment  his 
pleasures  were  at  an  end  ;  he  remained  on  board  his  ship  as 
closely  as  if  he  had  been  a  prisoner  during  the  whole  time  he 
was  obliged  to  wait  at  L'Orient  —  so  strictly  did  he  construe 
the  responsibility  he  had  assumed.  A  kxv  days  afterwards  he 
received  a  letter  from  Dr  Franklin,*  but  instead  of  the  ex- 

*  Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Dr  Franklin  to  Captain  Barney. 

'Passy,  Dec.  5,1782. 

*  *  *  *  '  I  have  kept  the  express,  hoping  to  have  sent  by  him  our  final 
Letters.  But  the  answer  of  the  Court  being  not  yet  obtained,  and  the  time 
when  we  may  expect  it  being  from  some  present  circumstances  very  uncer- 
tain, I  dismiss  him  ;  and  shall  send  another  when  we  are  ready.  In  the 
meantime,  it  may  be  agreeable,  and  of  some  use  to  you  to  know,  that  though 
peace  between  us  and  England  is  not  concluded,  (and  will  not  be  till  France 
and  England  are  agreed)  yet  the  preliminary  articles  are  signed,  and  you 
will  have  an  English  passport.  I  acquaint  you  with  this  in  friendship, 
that  if  you  have  any  little  adventure  on  your  own  account,  you  may  save 
the  insurance  :  but  you  will  keep  it  to  yourself  for  the  present.     Hold  your 

12* 


138 


MEMOIR  OF 


pected  orders  to  sail,  he  was  merely  told  to  hold  his  ship  ready 
—  a  very  unnecessary  caution  to  one  who  was  '  tou* 
1783  jours  pre  f  —  and  for  six  weeks  longer  he  was  tantaliz- 
ed with  the  daily  expectation  of  the  '  final  letters.' 
He  was  very  much  gratified,  however,  at  the  information  con- 
tained in  the  minister's  letter,  and  more  particularly  with  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  communicated. 

Early  in  January,  1783,  he  received  his  despatches,  accom- 
panied by  a  passport,   under  the  sign  manuel   of  the  King  of 
England,  for  the  '  Ship  General  Washington,  belonging  to  the 
United  States  of  North  America'  — -  he   smiled  at  the   singular 
coincidence,  and  wondered,  to  himself,  whether  the  king  had 
seen  the  name  of  his  ship,   when  he  signed  the  passport  !  — 
He  received  at  the  same  time  another  short  letter  from  Franklin, 
charging  him  still  to  keep  '  secret'  the  information  he  had  given 
him.  and  by  no  means  to  suffer  his  ship  to  be  visited  by  the 
English  cruisers  notwithstanding  his  passport,  lest  the  large  sum 
of  money  he  had  on  board  might  tempt  them  to  detain  him  — 
the  letter  closed  with  wishing   him   a  speedy  passage  and  all 
good  fortune.  —  He  was  detained  for  several  days  after  the 
receipt  of  his  orders  by   adverse  winds,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  18th  of  the  mouth  that  he  could  move  from  the  harbor  of 
L'Orient ;  and  even  then  the  prospect  was  so  unfavorable,  that 
his  ship  was  the  only  one  of  several  fine  American   armed 
vessels,  then  lying  there  all  ready  to  sail,  that  dared  to  venture 
out  —  nor  did  any  of  the  others  quit  the  port  for  six  weeks 
afterwards,  owing  to  the  continued  prevalence  of  high  westerly 
winds.     The  passage   home  was  in  every  respect  one  of  the 
most  disagreeable  and  uncomfortable  he  had  ever  experienced 
—  it  was  the  severest  portion  of  the  winter,  and  a  day  seldom 
passed  without   a  cold  northwest  gale,  sometimes  bringing  rain 
and  sleet,  which  made   it  almost  impossible   for  the  seamen  to 
keep  the  deck,  and  at  other  times  covering  the  sails  and  rigging 
with  snow  and  ice  :  every  mast  and  spar  were  sprung  before  he 
gained  a  sight  of  the  land,  which  did  not  happen  until  the  8th 

ship  ready,  as  we  know  not  how  soon  we  may  he   ready  to    dismiss  you. 
With  great  regard,  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

B.  Franklin. 

P.S.  l  Let  me  know  what  vessels  aie  at  L'Orient  bound  to  America,  and 
when  they  sail.  —  If  sny  vessel  for  North  America  sails  before  you,  send  with 
her  the  inclosed  for    Mr and  let  me  know  by  whom  it  goes.' 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  139 

of  March,  fifty  days  after  he  had  sailed  from  L'Orient.     He 
made  the  coast  a  little  to  the  northward  of  the  Delaware,  and 
in  running  along  shore  for  the  Capes,  he  was  chased  by  three 
ships,  which  were  so  disposed  as  to  render  the  prospect  of  es- 
cape almost  hopeless  —  one  of  them   was  on  his  lee  quarter, 
another  abreast  of  him,  and  the  third  on  his  lee  bow  —  the  wind 
off  shore,  blowing  very  hard,  and  the  weather  intensely  cold. 
He  was  determined  not  even  to  be  visited  if  he   could  help  it, 
but  the  chances  were  incalculably  against  him.     He  knew  that 
his  ship  sailed  well,  however,  and  he  did  not  spare  the  canvas 
—  as  night  came  on,  he  found  that  he  had   worked  ahead  of 
them  considerably,  but  as  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  enter  the 
Capes  in  the  dark  without  a  pilot,  except  at  a  greater  risk  per- 
haps than  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  avoid,  he  hauled  close  in 
with  the  land,  into  three  fathom  water,  dropped  his  anchor,  and 
furled  every  sail!    By  this  ingenious  and  well  timed  manoeuvre, 
he  made  himself  invisible  to  the  chasing  ships :  they  passed  so 
near  him  in  the  night  as  to  be  distinctly  seen  themselves,  while 
his  naked  masts  presented  so  small  an  object  as  to  be  entirely 
beyond  the  power  of  vision  at  the  distance  which  they  thought 
it  prudent  to  keep  from  the  shoal  water.     In  the  morning,  every 
rope  and  spar  were  covered  thick  with  ice  ;  and  it  was  not  with- 
out great  labor  and  difficulty  the  anchor  was  weighed.     The 
enemy  were  still  in  sight  off  Cape  Henlopen,  but  he  succeeded 
in  entering  the  Bay,  by  the  Cape  May  channel  —  the  scene  of 
his  former  triumph  —  and  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon  lost  all 
trace  of  his  pursuers.     On  the  12th  of  March,  he  arrived  safely 
at  Philadelphia,  and  had  the   satisfaction  of  receiving  another 
compliment  from  the  venerable  Morris. 

The  first  intelligence  which  our  government  had  received  of 
what  was  going  on  at  Paris,  was  that  which  Captain  Barney 
now  brought :  and  such  was  the  universal  interest  it  excited  that, 
on  the  following  day,  he  was  sent  for  by  Congress,  and  minute- 
ly questioned  as  to  the  source  and  extent  of  his  information. 
Dr  Franklin's  confidential  letter  to  him,  and  the  King  of  Eng- 
land's passport,  were  put  into  the  hands  of  the  President,  as 
comprising  all  that  he  knew  on  the  subject ;  but  it  was  soon 
whispered  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  a  Treaty  of  Peace,  and, 
joy  was  diffused  through  the  whole  community  — in  the  course 
of  the  following  month,  a  French  sloop  of  war  arrived  with  a 
confirmation  of  the  news,  and  a  copy  of  the  '  preliminary  arti- 
cles;' and  men,  women,  and  children,  citizens  and  soldier, 
united  in  one  general  thanksgiving  for  the  blessing  of  peace. 
Captain  Barney  had  now  the  happiness  of  enjoying  the  so- 


140 


MEMOIR  OP 


ciety  of  his  family  for  a  longer  period  than  had  fallen  to  his  lot 
since  he  became  a  husband.  On  his  return  he  found  a  second 
son,  born  a  few  weeks  before  his  arrival ;  and  he  began  to  think 
that  the  prediction,  which  had  escaped  him  in  his  soliloquy  over 
the  rifled  '  chair-box,'  was  in  a  fair  way  of  verification.  But 
he  had  now  no  reason  to  entertain  the  slightest  fear,  as  to  his 
ability  to  protect  and  support  all  that  it  might  please  Providence 
to  bless  him  with,  for  his  good  fortune  had  more  than  retrieved 
what  his  former  carelessness  had  lost ;  and  besides  the  inde- 
pendence of  present  means,  he  had  still  youth,  health,  a  vigor- 
ous constitution,  and  a  profession  which  would  always  command 
employment.  He  was  the  idol  of  popular  favor  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  stood  high  with  the  government ;  and  we  may  ven- 
ture to  say,  that  not  an  individual  in  the  wide  circle  of  those 
whom  the  peace  had  brought  together  in  the  American  capital, 
was  more  truly  happy  than  our  gallant  tar. 

Upon  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  which  took  place  immedi- 
ately after  the  arrival  of  the  French  sloop  of  war,  in  April, 
with  a  copy  of  the  treaty,  the  ship  General  Washington  was 
converted  by  the  government  into  a  regular  packet;  Captain 
Barney  was  retained  in  command  of  her,  and  was  for  a  long 
time  employed  in  a  succession  of  expeditions  to  various  parts  of 
Europe.  In  June  of  the  present  year,  after  being  for  nearly 
three  months  at  home,  he  was  sent  with  despatches  to  England 
and  France,  and  a  number  of  French  and  other  officers  were 
permitted  to  take  passage  with  him  — among  them  were  Gener- 
al Duportail,  Colonels  Gouvain  and  Lermoy,  and  Major  Jack- 
son, one  of  General  Washington's  private  secretaries.  —  A 
most  singular  incident  occurred  during  the  passage,  which,  as  it 
terminated  happily,  we  may  venture  to  relate;  but  we  take 
leave,  in  doing  so,  to  protest  against  being  considered  as  giving 
our  sanction  to  any  such  experiments,  to  be  hereafter  made  by 
those  having  no  authority  to  kill  l  secundum  artem? —  In  a  few 
days  after  leaving  the  Capes,  one  of  the  French  gentlemen  be- 
gan to  show  symptoms  of  mental  derangement,  which,  in  des- 
pite of  the  remedies  employed  under  the  direction  of  an  ex- 
perienced and  skilful  surgeon,  rapidly  grew  worse  ;  and  in  a 
little  time,  the  patient  became  a  raving  maniac,  so  wickedly 
and  savagely  disposed  towards  all  who  approached  him,  as  to 
make  it  dangerous  for  any  person  to  attend  him,  and  it  wTas 
found  necessary  to  confine  him  in  irons.  One  of  his  brother 
officers,  under  the  idea  that  the  case  was  a  desperate,  as  well 
as  a  distressing  one,  proposed  to  the  surgeon  to  try  the  effect 
of  a  large  dose  of  opium,  mentioning  at  the  same  time  several 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  141 

instances  in  which  he  had  seen  similar  affections  so  treated  with 
the  happiest  consequences.  The  surgeon  declared  that  such  a 
dose  would  produce  death  —  the  officer  called  a  council  of  war 
on  the  case,  and  they  unanimously  decided,  that  his  prescrip- 
tion should  be  tried  ;  but  as  the  surgeon  '  washed  his  hands' 
of  the  affair,  it  became  a  question  who  should  administer  the 
dose.  To  divide  the  responsibility,  and  render  all  equally  lia- 
ble to  indictment  for  murder,  should  the  experiment  prove  fa- 
tal, it  was  agreed  that  all  should  have  a  hand  in  preparing  the 
medicine,  and  that  the  person  to  force  it  down  the  throat  of  the 

maniac  should  be  determined  by  lot  : in  short,  the  opium 

was  administered  ;  the  patient  soon  fell  into  a  profound  and 
deathlike  sleep,  which  lasted  so  long  that  all  began  to  fear  it  was 
indeed  the  '  sleep  of  death  ; '  but  to  their  infinite  surprise  and 
joy,  on  the  third  morning,  the  patient  awaked  in  his  perfect 
senses,  and  so  continued  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage — as 
well  as  ever,  but  totally  unconscious  of  all  that  had  passed. 

The  ship  arrived  at  Plymouth  in  fourteen  days,  which  we 
believe  is  one  of  the  shortest  passages  ever  made  from  Phila- 
delphia. This  was  the  theatre  of  so  many  of  Barney's  suffer- 
ings, and  so  many  of  his  '  hair-breadth  'scapes,'  as  a  prisoner, 
that  we  cannot  wonder  he  felt  a  proud  gratification  at  the  op- 
portunity of  showing  himself  in  his  present  high  rank  and  hon- 
orable employment.  The  first  thing  he  did,  after  disposing  of 
his  letters,  was  to  call  upon  his  old  friend  the  clergyman  and 
his  family,  to  repeat  his  grateful  sense  of  obligation  for  their 
many  acts  of  kindness  :  they  received  him  with  the  affection- 
ate greetings  of  a  son  and  brother,  and  many  a  sweet  laugh 
did  they  mutually  enjoy  at  the  reminiscences  which  the  meeting 
could  not  fail  to  call  back.  He  was  rejoiced  to  hear  that  they 
had  suffered  no  persecution  on  his  account,  and  that  not  even  a 
suspicion  had  fallen  upon  them  of  having  harbored  him.  Du- 
ring his  short  stay  in  Plymouth,  he  gave  a  sumptuous  enter- 
tainment on  board  his  ship  to  these  much  valued  friends,  and 
insisted  upon  their  inviting  their  own  company  without  limita- 
tion —  on  this  occasion  he  had  the  ship  splendidly  dressed  and 
decorated  during  the  day,  and  brilliantly  illuminated  in  the  even- 
ing :  a  large  company,  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  of 
Plymouth,  partook  of  the  entertainment,  and  his  feelings  may 
be  imagined  from  the  brief  but  expressive  manner  in  which  he 
signalizes  the  day  in  his  journal  — '  This,' says  he,  '  was  one  ol 
the  happiest  days  of  my  life  ! '  —  The  British  officers  who 
were  in  the  town  and  on  the  station,  without  a  single  exception, 
called  to  pay  their   respects  to  him,  and  the  commanding  ad- 


142 


MEMOIR  OP 


miral  did  him  the  honor  of  an  especial  visit  to  look  at  "his  ship 
and  make  him  an  offer  of  service.  It  was  impossible  to  forget 
how  different  had  been  his  treatment  in  the  same  place,  but  two 
short  years  before,  when  he  was  advertised  as  a  '  rebel  deser- 
ter' and  threatened  with  being  *  hung  as  a  trai  or  to  his  king  ! ' 
but  the  recollection  brought  with  it  no  feeling  of  bitterness 
against  a  single  individual  of  those  who  had  been  his  hard-hearted 
jailors  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  enhanced  his  enjoyment  of  the  pre- 
sent moment,  and  rendered  the  honors  paid  him  doubly  grati- 
fying. —  He  did  not  fail  to  visit  the  little  village  of  Causen, 
which  had  been  the  scene  of  one  of  his  '  narrow  chances,'  nor 
to  call  at  Lord  Edgecombe's  magnificent  park,  for  the  purpose 
of  inquiring  after  the  old  gardener,  who  had  so  good  naturedly 
opened  '  a  backdoor'  for  his  escape  —  he  found  the  old  man  in 
the  same  employment,  and  almost  in  the  same  spot  —  and  but 
little  less  astonished  at  the  present,  than  he  had  been  at  the  first, 
unceremonious  visit ;  but  when  he  made  himself  known  as  the 
officer  who  had  incurred  the  Jin e  of  half  a  guinea  for  crossing 
a  hedge,  and  who  was  now  come  to  pay  it,  as  well  as  to  leave 
some  further  mark  of  gratitude  for  the  timely  assistance  he  had 
rendered  to  him  at  his  need,  the  old  man  rubbed  his  eyes  ; 
looked  again  at  the  gay  officer  before  him  ;  and  when  at  length 
he  fully  recognised  the  features  of  his  former  trespasser,  he 
seemed  to  be  so  much  rejoiced  to  see  him  again,  that  it  came 
to  the  visitor's  turn  to  be  surprised.  —  Our  readers,  we  are 
sure,  will  not  only  be  equally  surprised,  but  will  sympathize, 
in  the  heartfelt  pleasure  which  Captain  Barney  experienced, 
when  he  learned  that  this  venerable  gardener,  was  the  father 
of  the  soldier  to  whose  good  feelings  he  owed  his  escape 
from  Mill  Prison  !  The  connivance  of  this  soldier  had  never 
been  suspected ;  and  when  upon  the  subsequent  close  pur- 
suit, the  runaway  prisoner  had  been  traced  through  Lord 
Edgecombe's  garden,  and  it  became  known  to  the  son,  that  his 
father  had,  however  unconsciously,  aided  the  escape,  he  dis- 
closed to  the  old  man  his  important  secret,  and  thus  a  common 
interest  was  established  between  them  in  the  safety  of  the  Ameri- 
can officer.  —  We  need  hardly  add,  that  instead  of  the  guinea 
which  Captain  Barney  had  intended  to  bestow,  he  pressed  his 
full  purse  upon  the  old  man;  and  left  with  him  his  address  in 
America,  with  a  charge  for  the  son  to  call  upon  him,  if  any- 
thing should  ever  bring  him  again  to  that  country. 

After  a  stay  of  six  days  at  Plymouth  —  the  greater  part  of 
which  time  he  was  involuntarily  detained  by  the  winds  —  to  use 
again  his  own  words,  he  took  leave  of  his  '  dear,  good  friends 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


143 


with  reluctance,  and  two  days  afterwards  arrived  at  Havre  de 
Grace.'  Here  he  left  his  ship,  and  travelled,  with  as  much 
speed  as  the  accommodations  of  the  road  would  admit,  to  Paris. 
His  introductions  at  this  gay  capital  hut  a  few  months  before 
had  not  been  forgotten,  and  he  not  only  found  ready  access  to 
the  best  society,  but  soon  became  one  of  the  most  favored  guests 
at  all  the  reunions  and  pedis  soupers  of  the  gay  and  fashiona- 
ble. A  number  of  American  ladies  had  joined  the  society 
which  he  had  left  at  Paris  the  previous  November,  and  our  hon- 
ored countryman  found  his  services  in  constant  requisition,  as 
cicisbeo  and  escort,  to  the  thousand  places  of  amusement  which 
offered  their  daily  and  nightly  attractions  to  the  sojourners  in 
this  Paradis  des  Plaisirs.  But  he  did  not  permit  the  plea- 
sures of  Paris  and  its  throngs  of  gay  idlers  to  seduce  him  from 
the  calls  of  duty  :  the  moment  Dr  Franklin  announced  his 
readiness  to  despatch  him,  he  returned  to  Havre  de  Grace  and 
in  a  few  days  had  his  ship  ready  for  sea.  In  the  meantime, 
Mr  Laurens,  one  of  the  Commissioners,  arrived  at  Havre,  with 
permission  of  the  minister  to  take  passage  in  the  ship  to  Eng- 
land. They  sailed  on  the  following  day,  and  forty  eight  hours 
afterwards  Mr  Laurens  was  landed  at  Pool.  During  the  two 
days  that  he  remained  on  board,  the  captain  took  occasion  to 
mention  to  his  distinguished  passenger  the  fact  of  his  having 
been  in  London,  while  he  was  in  the  Tower,  and  the  reasons 
that  prevented  him  from  calling  there  to  pay  his  respects.  ■ — Mr 
Laurens  smiled,  and  remarked  that  the  captain  had  acted  wisely 
in  refraining  from  the  visit,  since  it  was  certain  he  would  have 
been  recognised  and  probably  made  to  suffer  severely  for  his 
temerity  ;  '  but,'  he  continued,  in  a  tone  of  patriotic  exulta- 
tion — '  times  are  changed  with  us  both.  Captain  Barney  !  we 
are  no  longer  proscribed  rebels  and  traitors,  but  the  honored  of 
our  country  ;  and  let  us  never  forget  that  wTe  are  indebted  to 
the  persevering  bravery  and  untamable  spirit  of  that  country, 
and  not  to  the  forbearance  of  our  enemy,  that  we  live  to  look 
back  at  our  sufferings.'  —  In  twenty  eight  days  from  the  time  of 
leaving  Havre,  Captain  Barney  arrived  safely  at  Philadelphia, 
in  the  beginning  of  August. 

The  ship  General  Washington  being  the  only  one  which  the 
United  States  had  retained  in  the  public  service  after  the 
Peace,  she  was  necessarily  kept  busily  employed.  The  cele- 
brated John  Paul  Jones,  had  applied  to  Congress  immediately 
after  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  to  be  appointed  agent,  to  solicit, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Minister  Plenipotentiary  at  the  Court 
of  Versailles,  payment  for  all  the  prizes  which  had  been  taken 


144 


MEMOIR  OF 


in  Europe  under  his  command  ;  on  the  1st  of  November  they 
assented  to  the  application  and  passed  a  resolution,  recommend- 
ing Capt.  Jones  to  their  Minister  in  France,  and  directing  the 
Agent  of  Marine  to  provide  him  with  a  passage  to  Prance  in 
the  ship  Washington.  She  was  accordingly  immediately  got 
ready,  and  Captain  Barney  again  sailed  from  Philadelphia.  M. 
Oster,  a  French  consul,  was  also  a  passenger ;  and  the  society 
of  Cincinnati,  recently  established  by  the  officers  of  the  army 
and  navy,  (of  which  Captain  Barney  himself  was  a  member) 
embraced  the  same  opportunity  of  sending  Major  L'Enfant  to 
France,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  certain  affairs  in  which 
they  were  deeply  interested.  The  major  wras  at  this  time  a 
great  favorite  with  the  Americans ;  a  gay,  gallant  officer ;  full 
of  intelligence  and  professional  zeal ;  and  warmly  attached  to 
the  cause  of  the  United  States  :  he  possessed  a  proud  and  in- 
dependent spirit,  but  was  as  social  in  his  disposition  as  the  gayest 
of  his  happy  countrymen.  Captain  Jones  was  reserved,  and 
not  entirely  free  from  moroseness :  even  in  his  moments  of  re- 
laxation, he  verified  what  Froissart  has  so  quaintly  said  of  the 
British  islanders,  '  qui  se  rejouissant  tristement,  selon  le  cou- 
tume  de  leur pays.''  The  consul  was  all  life  and  spirits;  and 
upon  the  whole  the  cabin  guests  formed  an  agreeable  partie 
quarree.  Barney  had  orders  to  land  Captain  Jones  at  any  place 
in  Europe  that  he  might  designate,  and  then  to  await  at  Havre 
de  Grace  the  farther  instructions  of  the  American  minister. 
After  they  had  been  at  sea  a  day  or  two,  he  was  very  much 
surprised  to  hear  from  Captain  Jones,  that  he  desired  to  be 
landed  on  the  coast  England,  '  anywhere  that  he  could  first 
make  land  : '  he  was  surprised,  because  he  knew  the  detestation 
in  which  the  character  of  Jones  was  held  there,  and  that  Jones 
himself  was  aware  that  his  American  commission  would  avail 
him  nothing,  if  he  fell  into  the  power  of  the  British  government; 
he  could  not  help,  therefore,  expressing  his  great  astonishment, 
that  his  passenger  should  choose  to  incur  such  a  risk,  par- 
ticularly as  he  understood  him  to  be  anxious  to  reach  Paris.  — 
*  As  to  that, '  Captain  Jones  replied,  '  I  shall  very  probably  be 
in  Paris  before  you  —  but  it  is  of  infinitely  more  importance  to 
me  to  see  a  certain  person  in  England  ;  and  1  am  too  well  ac- 
quainted with  every  foot  of  it,  and  know  too  wTell  how  to  steer 
my  course,  to  apprehend  any  personal  danger.  —  Put  me  ashore 
wherever  you  can  make  the  coast  ;  I  shall  leave  my  baggage 
with  you,  and  it  will  not  be  the  first  time,  if  I  have  to  traverse 
all  England  with  the  blood-hounds  upon  my  track.'  Barney 
was  one  of  the  very  few  American  officers  who  knew  how  to 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  145 

appreciate  the  eccentricities  of  Jones  —  he  had  known  him 
from  the  first  year  of  his  entering  the  navy  —  they  had  been 
together  in  the  little  expedition  against  the  Bahamas  in  1775  ; 
and  though  he  had  for  several  years  lost  sight  of  him  in  their 
distant  services,  he  had  not  failed  to  hear  of  and  admire  his 
numerous  gallant  achievements.  He  respected  him  for  his 
general  intelligence  and  his  profound  knowledge  of  his  pro- 
fession ;  and  he  loved  him  for  that  chivalry  in  his  character 
which  so  nearly  resembled  his  own.  This  was  the  first  time 
the  two  officers  had  ever  been  so  long  together,  and  they  form- 
ed a  sincere  attachment  for  each  other.  For  many  an  hour  at 
night,  while  the  two  Frenchmen  below  were  amusing  themselves 
at  Piquet  or  Tric-trac,  these  brothers  in  chivalry  would  walk 
the  quarter-deck,  or  seat  themselves  on  the  hen-coops,  and 
talk  over  bye  gone  events.  It  was  easy  to  perceive  that  the 
elder  was  an  unhappy  man,  and  it  required  but  little  knowledge 
of  the  human  heart  to  discover  that  the  cause,  whatever  it  might 
be,  was  beyond  the  reach  of  friendly  sympathy.  —  Captain 
Barney  knew  it  would  be  unavailing  to  attempt  to  dissuade  the 
Chevalier  from  his  purpose  of  landing  on  the  coast  of  England, 
and  therefore  steered  for  that  part  of  it  where  he  would  be 
least  likely  to  meet  with  interruption  ;  on  the  sixteenth  day  he 
put  him  ashore  at  a  small  fishing  place  and  then  trimmed  his 
sails  for  Havre,  which  he  reached  two  or  three  days  afterwards 
in  safety. 

Major  L'Enfant  was  very  solicitous  to  take  his  friend  Barney 
with  him  to  Paris,  but  the  orders  of  the  latter  were  explicit  to 
*  wait  at  Havre,'  and  he  knew  as  well  how  to  obey  as  to  com- 
mand. '  Mais  que  diable  ferez  vous  ici  ?'  said  the  major  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders  at  the  idea  of  any  body  presuming  to  resist 
the  temptations  of  Paris  — '  vous  n'avez  qu'  a  dire  au  bon 
Franklin  que '  But  it  was  all  to  no  purpose  ;  Barney  insist- 
ed that  he  could  pass  three  iveeks  at  Havre  — the  time  he  was 
ordered  to  remain  there  —  with  as  much  pleasure  as  at  Paris; 
to  which  the  major  replied  with  a  '  Bah  !'  and  they  parted.  — 
We  give  great  credit  to  Captain  Barney  for  the  firmness  with 
which  he  resisted  even  an  invitation  from  Dr  Franklin  himselt 
to  go  to  Paris  —  for  the  following  passage  in  a  letter  which  he 
received  from  him  while  at  Havre,  might  have  been  very  fairly 
construed  into  such  an  invitation  as  would  have  excused  him  to 
his  friend  Mr  Morris,  on  his  return  to  the  United  States.  Un- 
der date  of  the  16th  December,  1783,  at  Passy,  the  Doctor 
says  to  him  :  '  If  you  come  to  Paris,  I  have  a  room  and  bed  at 
your  service,  and  shall  be  glad  you  ivould  accept  of  them* 
13 


146 


MEMOIR  OF 


and  in  another  part  of  the  same  letter,  he  says  :  *  If  in  anything 
I  can  serve  you  here,  let  me  know,  and  I  shall  do  it  with  plea- 
sure.' There  would  certainly  have  been  no  danger  of  reproach 
at  home,  if  he  had  jumped  into  the  Diligence  and  taken  the 
good  Doctor  at  his  word ;  hut  when  he  felt  himself  under  an 
obligation  of  duty,  as  we  have  more  than  once  had  occasion  to 
see,  his  resolution  was  proof  against  every  seduction.  —  He 
was  agreeably  surprised  to  receive  by  the  same  post  a  let- 
1784  ter  from  Captain  Jones,*  who  had  happily  reached  Paris, 
as  it  appeared,  without  having  encountered  any  of  the 
obstacles,  feared  for  him  rather  than  by  him,  in  England. 

On  the  very  last  day  of  the  three  weeks  that  Captain  Barney 
was  ordered  to  wait  at  Havre  for  the  Minister's  despatches,  he 
received  them  by  express,  and  immediately  afterwards  left  the 
Port,  in  one  of  the  severest  gales  he  had  ever  experienced  — 
'  but  orders  must  be  obeyed,  is  his  own  brief  comment  upon  his 
putting  to  sea  in  such  weather.  The  gale  continued  all  the  way 
through  the  Channel,  and  off  the  Western  Islands  his  rudder 
came  off,  the  iron  with  which  it  was  mounted  having  been  cor- 
roded by  its  contact  with  the  copper  bottom  of  the  ship ;  but 
he  contrived  to  get  it  on  board  and  so  repair  its  fastenings  as  to 
make  it  '  do  its  duty'  for  the  rest  of  the  passage.     He  did  not 

*As  everything  must  be  interesting  from  the  pen  of  an  individual  who 
acted  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  great  theatre  of  the  world,  as  we  may- 
very  justly  saj  of  Paul  Jones,  we  insert  his  letter  without  abridgment,  though 
it  was  merely  a  private  and  friendly  one. 

'Paris,  Dec.  16th,  1783. 

«  Dear  Sir,—  Two  days  after  I  reached  this  city  I  was  happy  to  hear 
that  you  had  safely  arrived  at  La  Havre  —  I  am  sorry  however  to  find  that 
you  decline  to  come  here  where  I  should  have  taken  sincere  pleasure  in  con- 
tributing to  make  your  hours  pass  agreeably.  —  Mr  Franklin  has  just  inform- 
ed me  that  he  writes  you  by  this  Post,  to  forward  the  articles  you  have 
brought  over  for  him  by  the  Diligence.  I  must  pray  you  to  favor  me  by  for- 
warding my  little  trunk  that  I  left  in  your  cabin,  and  a  small  case  that  is  in 
the  care  of  Mr  Fitzgerald,  by  the  same  conveyance  with  those  articles  for  Mr 
Franklin.  Mr  Fitzgerald  will  oblige  me  by  putting  cards  on  them  directed 
as  follows  —  "  A  Monsieur  Paul  Jones,  Maison  de  M.  La  Chapelle,  Boule- 
vard Montmartre  a  Paris."  —  At  the  same  time  you  will  oblige  me  by  a  let- 
ter of  advice  that  I  may  know  when  and  where  to  send  for  them.  —  1  expect 
immediately  to  be  presented  to  the  King,  and  after  (hat  ceremony,  when 
I  have  had  some  conveisation  with  the  Ministers,  I  will  write  to  Mr  Fitzcer- 
ald  respecting  the  Prize  Money.  In  the  meantime  I  pray  him  to  take  care 
of  my  cot  and  bedding. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  with  great  regard, 

Your  most  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

Paul  Jones.* 

'Jos.  Barnet,  Esq.,  Captain  of  the  Washington.' 

*See  Appendix,  No.   VH. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  147 

reach  the  coast  until  the  beginning  of  March,  1784  — the  win- 
ter had  been  one  of  the  coldest  that  had  been  experienced  for 
many  years  ;  and  when  he  got  into  the  Chesapeake,  he  found  it 
blocked  up  with  ice  as  low  down  as  Cape  Henry  !  Several 
vessels  entered  the  Capes  with  him,  but  the  greater  part  of 
them  were  driven  ashore  and  wrecked  in  the  ice  :  he  was  more 
fortunate  ;  but  he  was  for  fifteen  days  beating  up  and  down  the 
Bay,  surrounded  by  floating  ice  in  immense  masses ;  many  of 
his  crew  were  frost  bitten  $  both  his  anchors  were  lost,  the  ca- 
bles being  cut  away  by  the  ice  in  the  night  —  in  this  state  he 
put  into  Annapolis  Road. 

Congress  were  at  this  moment  in  session  at  Annapolis,  and 
having  delivered  his  despatches  to  the  President,  General  Mif- 
flin, and  placed  his  ship  in  as  perfect  a  state  of  safety  as  the 
circumstance  would  admit,  Captain  Barney  set  out  by  land  for 
Philadelphia,  where  his  family  still  remained  The  snow  on 
the  ground  was  still  of  an  average  depth  of  three  feet,  and  the 
travelling  was  necessarily  not  only  tedious,  and  difficult  but  ex- 
tremely dangerous.  In  crossing  Winter's  Run,  between  Balti- 
more and  Havre  de  Grace,  his  horse  broke  through  the  ice,  and 
both  he  and  the  rider  were  very  near  being  swept  under  by  the 
force  of  the  current  —  nothing  but  the  great  strength  of  the 
one,  and  the  dexterous  ingenuity  of  the  other  could  have 
saved  them.  On  arriving  at  Philadelphia,  and  reporting  him- 
self to  Mr  Morris,  he  received  orders  to  lose  no  time  in  return- 
ing to  his  ship  and  getting  her  up  to  Baltimore  the  moment  the 
state  of  the  ice  would  permit  her  removal  as  it  had  been  deter-  ^ 
mined  by  the  United  States  to  sell  her.  As  the  sale  of  the 
Washington,  —  the  only  vessel  which  Congress  had  retained  in 
service  after  the  peace  —  would  necessarily  terminate  his  connex- 
ion with  government,  he  determined  to  take  his  family  back  with 
him  to  Baltimore,  where  it  had  always  been  his  intention  to  fix  his 
permanent  residence.  Bad  as  the  condition  of  the  roads  was,  he 
thought  it  better  that  they  should  undertake  the  journey  at  once 
under  his  protection,  than  be  left  to  the  chance  of  better  travel- 
ling when  it  might  not  be  in  his  power  to  escort  them.  They 
were  soon  ready  to  accompany  him,  and  having  received  from 
the  superintendent  of  finance  a  draft  on  John  Swanwick,  Esq. 
for  the  sum  of  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  to  pay  the  balance  of 
wages  due  the  crew  of  the  General  Washington  —  for  which 
he  was  informed  that  Mr  Harwood,  the  Receiver  for  Maryland, 
would  give  him  the  cash — he  commenced  one  of  the  most 
fatiguing  and  disagreeablejourneys  he  had  ever  yet  gone  through  : 
patience  and  perseverance,  however,  surmounted  all  difficultieSj 


148 


MEMOIRS  OF 


and  on  the  1st  of  May  he  had  the  satisfaction  to  welcome  his 
wife  and  children  to  his  native  city. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  at  Baltimore,  he  received  a  letter 
from  Mr  Morris*  giving  him  more  detailed  instructions  concern- 
ing the  sale  of  the  ship,  and  appointing  him,  under  the  Resolu- 
tion of  Congress,  the  agent  for  that  object.  This  was  done  by 
Mr  Morris,  not  only  as  a  compliment  due  to  Captain  Barney 
in  consideration  of  the  long  time  he  had  commanded  that  ship,  but 
from  a  persuasion  that  his  wishes  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
United  States  would  stimulate  his  endeavors  to  sell  her  for  as 
high  a  price  as  possible.  —  Several  material  alterations  were 
made  both  in  the  time  and  mode  of  sale,  as  at  first  prescribed  by 
the  Agent  of  Marine,  at  the  suggestions  of  Captain  Barney, 
who  was  much  better  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  Baltimore 
V  markets  than  Mr  Morris  could  be,  who  therefore  readily  trusted 
the  whole  to  his  own  discretion.  From  these  causes,  it  was  not 
until  some  time  in  July,  that  the  sale  was  finally  effected  ;  and 
immediately  afterwards  Captain  Barney  proceeded  to  Philadel- 
phia, to  deliver  in  his  accounts,  and  receive  his  carte  de  conge. 

*  Letter  from  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris  to  Captain  Barney. 

Marine  Office  ,11th  May,  1784. 

Sir,  —  Inclosed  is  a  copy  of  a  Resolution  of  Congress  directing  the  ship 
Washington  to  be  sold  —  also  a  copy  of  the  Advertisement  which  has  been 
^  published  in  the  several  newspapers  of  this  city  inconsequence  of  that  Res- 
olution. By  the  latter  you  will  perceive  that  a  person  is  to  be  appointed  to 
attend  the  sale  at  Baltimore  to  receive  the  sum  she  may  sell  for,  and  deliver 
possession  to  the  Purchaser.  —  As  you  have  been  for  a  considerable  time  the 
commander  of  that  ship,  I  have  concluded  to  commit  this  business  to  your 
care,  persuaded  that  your  wishes  to  promote  the  interests  of  ihe  United 
States,  will  stimulate  your  endeavors  to  have  her  sold,  conformably  to  the 
advertisement,  for  as  high  a  price  as  possible.  —  I  conceive  that  it  would 
be  best  for  the  public  interest  to  sell  the  lead  and  iion  now  on  board  the 
Washington  for  specie  previous  to  the  sale  of  the  ship.  You  will  therefore 
advertise  those  articles  to  be  sold  on  the  tenth  day  of  next  month  at  the 
v  Coffee  House  in  Baltimore.  You  will  also  cause  a  proper  inventory  of  the 
ship's  materials  and  stores  to  be  exhibited  at  the  Coffee  House  previous  to 
*    and  at  the  time  of  her  sale,  transmitting  to  me  a  copy  thereof  as  soon  as  may  be. 

The  Certificates  to  be  taken  in  payment  for  the  Washington,  besides  those 
which  have  been  issued  lrom  the  different  Loan  Offices  of  the  United  States, 
must  be  those  of  the  commissioners  for  settling  the  accounts  of  the  several 
states  with  the  United  States,  and  those  appointed  to  adjust  the  accounts  of 
the  quarter-master's,  commissary's,  clothing,  hospital,  marine  and  army 
Departments. 

The  inclosure  No.  3  exhibits  a  list  of  the  commissioners  above  referred  to, 
with  the  states  and  departments  to  which  they  have  been  appointed. 

When  the  sale  of  the  Washington  is  completed,  the  people  who  have  been 
retained  to  take  care  of  her  are  to  be  discharged,  and  you  will  as  soon  aspos- 
sible  exhibit  at  this  office  all  your  accounts  which  relate  to  her. 
I  am,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

Robert  Morris. 

JosiiUA  Barney,  Esq.  commanding  the  ship  Washington.       * 


COMMODORE  BARNEY  149 

He  was  now  twentyjive  years  old  —  nine  ot  which  he  had 
been  in  the  service  of  his  country  ;  and,  except  during  the  sev- 
eral periods  when  he  was  suffering  the  horrors  of  imprison- 
ment, in  active  service  —  as  useful  to  his  country,  as  it  was 
honorable  to  himself.  He  had  entered  it  an  unknown,  uncon- 
nected stripling —  with  nothing  to  recommend  him  but  a  stout 
heart  and  vigor  of  limb :  his  ardent  love  of  country  was  un- 
tried, and  his  aspirations  for  glory  panted  unseen  in  his  swelling 
bosom;—  but  he  had  one  advantage  —  he  possessed  that  com- 
bination of  features,  that  prepossessing  expression  of  counten- 
ance, which  has  been,  as  truly  as  beautifully,  characterized  as  a 
letter  of  recommendation,  all  the  world  over.  He  was  now 
about  to  leave  that  service,  honored  and  distinguished  —  known 
in  every  State  as  a  champion  of  his  country's  independence,  re- 
spected by  the  wisest,  bravest,  and  best  —  courted  by  a  numer- 
ous circle  —  a  husband,  and  a  father.  — Mr  Morris,  we  have 
seen,  was  his  earliest  patron  and  friend  ;  and  through  every 
vicissitude  of  his  fortune  remained  firmly  attached  to  him.  On 
this  occasion  of  final  settlement  of  accounts,  Captain  Barney 
received  the  most  gratifying  proof  of  the  warm  interest  which 
his  excellent  friend  took  in  his  welfare.  —  Before  he  took  leave 
of  him,  Mr  Morris  desired  to  know  what  were  his  pecuniary 
circumstances,  and  his  future  views  of  life.  '  I  will  not  consent,  / 
my  young  friend,'  said  he,  '  that  all  connexion  shall  be  dissolv- 
ed between  us,  because  the  United  States  have  no  longer  occa- 
sion for  your  survices.  I  need  not  tell  you,  that  you  have  hon- 
orably and  nobly  sustained  the  good  opinion  which  I  formed  of 
you,  eight  years  ago.  I  then  told  you,  that  if  your  conduct 
continued  to  be  what  it  had  been,  you  should  always  find  in 
me  a  friend  ready  and  happy  to  serve  you.  These  were  not 
mere  words  of  course,  Captain  Barney  —  and  I  should  be  do- 
ing violence  to  my  own  feelings  and  princ  pies  were  I  n  w  to 
refrain  from  acknowledging,  that  1  owe  you  a  debt  offiiendship> 
which  1  am  anxious  to  pay.     Tell  me  how  I  can  best  serve  you 

—  you  cannot  have  laid  by  much  money,  for  yours  has  been 
more  a  service  of  honor  than  that  of  profit  —  and  any  business 
in  which  you  may  determine  to  engage,  will  be  all  the  more 
prosperous,  if  founded  upon  a  good  capital.  Tell  me  frankly, 
do  you  want  a  few  thousands  to  begin  with  ? —  my  credit,  my 
experience,  my  lasting  friendship  and  good  wishes  are  all  yours 

—  use  them  all  as  you  please  !  ' 

We  will  not  attempt  to  express  the  feelings  of  Captain  Barney, 
at  this  unexpected,  this  generous    proof  of  the  high    esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  b)  this  exalted  patriot  and  most  benevolent 
13* 


150 


MEMOIR  OF 


of  men.  He  assured  Mr  Morris,  that  he  was  amply  provided 
with  the  means  of  establishing  himself  in  commercial  business, 
and  therefore  did  not  need  the  pecuniary  assistance  which  he 
had  so  generously  offered  him,  but  that  he  would  thankfully 
avail  hmself  of  the  friendly  advice  of  one  whose  long  and 
extensive  experience  in  such  pursuits  so  well  qualified  him  to 
give  it,  and  that  he  would  not  fail  to  take  the  liberty  of  consult- 
ing him  upon  all  occasions  of  difficulty  and  embarrassment.  — 
'  Do  so,  my  young  friend,'  said  this  good  old  man,  '  look  upon 
me  as  a  father,  and  in  that  character  let  me  invoke  a  blessing 
upon  your  future  labors  !  May  God  prosper  you,  my  gallant 
boy  !  Farewell  !  ' 

While  Captain  Barney  remained  in  Philadelphia,  he  was  grati- 
fied to  hear  that  his  friend  Mr  Laurens  had  returned  from  Eng- 
land, and  was  then  at  Bristol,  on  the  Delaware.  Not  having 
the  time  to  visit  him,  he  wrote  a  short  letter  to  congratulate  him 
on  his  arrival  and  to  solicit  that  he  would  make  his  house  in 
Baltimore  '  a  home,'  on  his  passage  through  to  South  Carolina. 
We  cannot  better  close  this  chapter,  which  concludes  the  revo- 
lutionary portion  of  our  task,  than  by  giving  to  our  readers  the 
answer  of  Mr  Laurens  —  a  volume  of  our  own,  could  add 
nothing  to  the  testimony  of  such  men  as  Robert  Morris  and 
Henry  Laurens,  to  the  merit  of  him  we  have  undertaken  to 
pourtray  :  — 

'Bristol  on  the  Delaware,  Aug.  23,  1784. 

'  Dear  Sir, —  The  day  before  yesterday  I  was  honored  by 
the  receipt  of  your  very  obliging  letter  of  the  14th  inst.  which 
probably  had  been  some  days  lying  in  the  Post-Office  where  my 
son  found  it. 

'  Accept  my  best  acknowledgments  for  your  kind  congratula- 
tions and  polite  invitation  to  your  house  in  Baltimore  —  the  regard 
I  have  for  Captain  Barney  will,  barring  unforeseen  accidents,  in- 
duce me  to  go  miles  out  of  my  way,  to  pay  my  respects  ;  but 
my  family  and  company  will  probably  be  so  large  as  to  forbid 
an  acceptance  of  a  convenience  to  myself  which  would  be 
troublesome  to  a  friend. 

'  My  health,  thank  God,  has  been  pretty  good  since  the  be- 
ginning of  May  last,  but  the  weakness  which  a  two  years'  attack 
of  the  gout  brought  upon  my  nerves  remains,  and  I  have  no  hopes 
of  recovering  my  strengh  by  increasing  age,  nor  am  I  anxious  on 
that  score. 

*  L  shall  be  in  Philadelphia  the  latter  end  of  this  week,  and 
shall  call  on  Mr  Bed  lord  for  the  carriage  ;  the  trunks  perhaps 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


151 


are  as  well  with  you  for  the  present,  but  should  I  want  them  you 
shall  be  informed  in  due  time. 

*  Your  discharge  from  the  service  of  the  public,  an  act  of 
necessity  and  with  your  own  approbation,  cannot  obliterate  the 
honor  you  acquired  nor  wither  the  laurels  which  you  gained  in 
that  service.  The  plough-share  now  is  preferable  to  the  spear. 
You  are  on  shore  making  a  better  provision  for  a  rising  pro- 
geny of  Barneys  than  yon  could  hope  for,  from  being  a  peace- 
able ship-master,  otherwise  I  am  persuaded  you  could  not  re- 
main a  day  unemployed  in  that  branch. 

*  With  every  good  wish  to  yourself  and  family,  m  which 
my  son  desires  to  join,  I  have  the  honor  of  assuring  you 
that  I  am, 

Sir,  your  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

Henry  Laurens. 
'Capt.  Joshua  Barney.' 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Reflections  on  Captain  Barney's  change  of  life.  —  He  establishes  himself  in 
commerce  :  —  meets  with  heavy  losses  :  —  has  a  third  son  born  :  —  his  mother 
takes  up  her  residence  in  his  family  : —  he  purchases  a  tract  of  land  in  Ken- 
tucky :  —  visits    Charleston,   Savannah,  and  Kentucky:  —  becomes  a   great 

-  favorite  with  the  '  Hunters  of  Kentucky': — returns  to  Baltimore: — takes 
an  active  part  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  :  —  violence  of  elec- 
tioneering meetings  :  —  the  State  Convention  adopt  the  constitution  —  ratifica- 
tion of  the  same  by  Congress  :  — grand  procession  in  honor  of  the  event :  —  he 
rigs  up  and  commands  a  miniature  ship  on  the  occasion: — 'Federal  Hill' 
named.  —  He  fits  his  little  ship  for  a  voyage  :  —  enters  Annapolis  by  invitation 
and  is  hospitably  entertained  :  —  pursues  his  voyage  to  Mount  Vernon  :  —  pre- 
sents the  Ship  to  Washington,  in  the  name  of  the  Ship-Masters  of  Balti- 
more :  —  is  kept  at  Mount  Vernon  for  a  week: — returns  to  Baltimore  by 
land.  —  Mrs  Washington  arrives  at  Baltimore  :  —  and  invites  him  to  accom- 
pany her  to  New  York.  —  The  Governor  and  Troops  of  Pennsylvania  meet 
them  at  Gray's  Ferry  :  —  grand  collation  : —  Mrs  Morris  joins  the  travelers 
to  New  York.  He  meets  his  friend  Mr  Morris  : — is  introduced  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  :  —  corresponds  with  him  on  the  subject  of  the 
Revenue  :  —  is  offered  command  of  a  Cutter  and  declines  :  —  is  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  Maryland:  —  gives  up  the  office  in  a  short 
time:  —  is  appointed  by  the  Legislature  Vendue  Master:  —  establishes  a 
Warehouse  in  conjunction  with  a  Partner: — business  goes  on  prosperously. 
He  projects  a  voyage  :  —  leaves  the  business  to  his  Partner,  and  visits  Carth- 
agena  and  Havanna:  —  finds  a  daughter  born  on  his  return. —  Death  of  hi» 
mother;  —  his  filial  piety. — He  undertakes  another  voyage  on  a  larger 
scale:  —  the  Firm  purchase  the  Ship  '  Sampson' : — he  makes  a  trading 
voynge  to  the  French  Islands: — finds  several  friends  at  St  Domingo. — 
makes  a  fortunate  voyage  to  Havana  and  returns  to  Baltimore,  for  another 
cargo. —  He  sails  again  immediately  for  Cape  Francois  —  sells  his  cargo  at  great 
profit :  —  dreadful  state  of  thi;igs  at  the  Cape  :  —  battles  between  the  inhabi- 
tants in  the  streets  : —  the  town  is  fired: —  women  and  children  take  refuge 
on  board  his  ship :  —  he  makes  a  daring  attempt,  and  succeeds  in  saving  his 
property  :  —  has  to  fight  against  both  parties :  —  sails  for  St  Marks  :  —  is  cap- 
tured by  three  English  Privateers  :  —  retakes  his  ship —  and  brings  her  into 
Baltimore. 

A  new  era  now  opens  upon  us  in  the  action  of  our  narra- 
tive ;  and  the  reader  who  has  followed  thus  far  the  active  and 
eventful  career  of  its  subject,  will  be  called  upon  to  contemplate 
his  character  under  another  aspect.  The  qualities  which  most 
certainly  lead  to  distinction  in  the  tumultuous  and  agitating 
scenes  of  war,  are  not  always  the  best  fitted  for  a  successful 
cultivation  of  the  arts  of  peace,  and  we  must  not  be  surprised, 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


153 


if  we  find,  that  the  adventurous  intrepidity,  uprightness  of  pur- 
pose and  plain-dealing  of  our  honest  sailor,  too  often  exposed  him 
to  be  over-reached  by  the  cunning,  and  grovelling  artifices,  of 
trade.  Before  we  enter  upon  this  new  portion  of  our  task, 
however,  justice  both  to  the  reader  and  the  subject  requires, 
that  we  should  look  back  for  a  moment  at  some  of  the  stages 
we  have  passed.  —  Captain  Barney  was  not,  like  most  of  his 
brother-officers  in  both  branches  of  the  service,  returning  to 
a  mode  of  life  with  which  he  had  been  previously  familiar,  but 
was  now  to  begin  a  course  of  action  totally  different  from  all 
the  habits  of  his  youth  and  manhood.  It  will  be  recollected 
that  he  was  not  twelve  years  old  when  he  left  his  father's  roof, 
with  but  little  advantage  of  education,  to  commence  his  chosen 
career  :  —  for  the  four  succeeding  years,  it  may  be  literally  said 
of  him,  that 

•  His  course  wag  on  the  mountain  wave 
His  home  was  on  the  deep'  — 

and  though  that  interval  was  replete  with  romantic  and  rare 
adventures  for  a  boy,  it  afforded  him  but  few  opportunities  of 
acquiring  any  other  than  professional  instruction  :  —  at  sixteen, 
he  became  a  '  rebel'  in  the  cause  of  his  country,  thus  changing 
his  service,  but  not  his  profession  :  —  but  now,  after  nine  years 
of  toil,  and  peril,  and  glory  in  that  service,  and  thirteen  years 
of  exclusive  devotion  to  that  profession,  we  find  him  released 
from  the  one,  and  resolved  to  abandon  the  other  —  precisely  at 
that  moment  when  the  habits  of  life,  and  modes  of  thinking, 
are  beginning  to  acquire  a  rigidity  and  fixedness  not  easily  ac- 
commodated to  new  forms  and  changes.  As  his  friend  Mr 
Laurens,  who  seems  to  have  known  him  well,  intimated  in  his 
letter,  he  could  never  have  set  himself  thus  quietly  down,  had 
the  alternative  been  anything  else  than  his  becoming  '  a.  peacea- 
ble ship-master'  —  but  the  change  from  the  bustling  activity  of 
a  ship  of  war  to  the  humble  command  of  some  poor  defence- 
less hulk  in  '  the  merchant-service,'  would  have  been  a  far  more 
serious  '  breaking  up'  of  old  associations,  than  that  which  he 
decided  upon :  it  was  better  to  be  a  merchant  and  command 
other  captains,  than  a  captain  and  be  commanded  by  other 
merchants.  We  are  very  certain,  however,  that  his  choice  was 
determined  by  a  much  less  selfish  consideration,  —  he  had 
hitherto  been  able  to  devote  but  little  of  his  time  to  domestic 
concerns  —  he  had  a  young  and  growing  family,  whose  welfare 
he  thought  would  be  best  secured  by  his  own  personal  cares 
and  protection  ;  and  he  had,  during  the  last  year  of  his  service, 


154 


MEMOIR  OF 


laid  by  a  sufficient  capital,  if  managed  with  prudence,  to  give 
them  a  comfortable  support. 

We  have  heretofore  mentioned  that  young  Barney,  was  the 
first  individual  to  unfurl  the  banner  of  the  Union,  in  his  native 
state  —  in  October,  1775  :  it  is  a  remarkable  coincidence,  that 
he  was  also  the  last  officer  to  quit  its  service,  in  July,  1784  — 
having  been,  for  many  months  before,  the  only  officer  retained 
by  the  United  States.  His  native  city,  Baltimore,  was  the 
scene  of  both  incidents;  —  and  though  the  circumstances  of 
the  war  had  carried  him  to  a  different  theatre  of  action,  and 
reflected  upon  a  sister  city  the  glory  of  his  achievements,  yet 
did  his  fellow-citizens  evince,  by  the  honors  which  they  paid 
him,  that  they  claimed  a  full  participation  in  the  merit  of  having 
sent  forth  so  gallant  a  champion.  His  return  to  Baltimore  was 
greeted  with  every  demonstration  of  welcome  that  could  gratify 
his  pride  ;  and  the  declaration  of  his  intention  to  fix  here  his 
future  residence,  was  received  with  liberal  offers  of  assistance 
and  friendship  from  all  descriptions  of  citizens. 

Such  were  the  favorable  auspices  under  which  our  gallant 
sailor  returned  to  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  commenced  his 
new  career  of  commerce,  in  partnership  with  a  near  connexion 
of  his  wife,  (by  marriage)  in  the  autumn  of  1784.  In  addition 
to  these  advantages  at  home,  he  was  honorably  known  to  some 
of  the  first  merchants  abroad  ;  he  had  friends  in  England, 
France,  Spain,  and  Holland,  who  only  wanted  an  opportunity 
of  showing  their  high  confidence  in  his  integrity,  and  their 
sincere  desire  to  render  him  a  service.  —  In  short,  it  must  be 
acknowledged,  that  no  man  ever  entered  into  business  with 
greater  advantages,  or  more  brilliant  prospects :  but  in  spite  of 
all,  he  found,  after  a  little  while,  that,  instead  of  advancing  with 
the  rapidity  of  his  usual  progress  in  enterprise,  there  was  great 
danger  of  a  retrograde  movement.  His  own  remark  on  this 
occasion  is  so  expressive,  that  we  cannot  help  quoting  it  — '  We 
did  something,  but  I  found  not  enough  to  keep  my  funds  from 
sinking.'  By  this  it  may  be  inferred,  that  he  had  furnished  the 
whole  of  the  capital,  upon  which  the  firm  was  trading,  and 
from  that  consideration,  had  probably  thought  himself  author- 
ized to  leave  the  whole  duty  of  managing  it  to  the  partner. 
He  was  prudent  enough,  upon  discovering  the  unprosperous 
condition  of  affairs,  to  withdraw  a  portion  of  his  funds  from  the 
sinking  concern,  and  lay  them  out  in  the  purchase  of  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky,  in  the  hope  that 
he  might  thus  secure  something  for  his  children  at  a  future  day. 

To  show  in  what  way  his  losses  in  trade  occurred,  we  men- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  155 

tion  one  or  two  facts,  from  which  the  reader  may  easily  con- 
jecture the  nature  of  many  others  that  continued  -to  fall  heavily 
upon  this  ill-managed  concern.  —  He  made  a  shipment  of  a 
parcel  of  merchandize  to  the  Havana,  the  sale  of  which  pro- 
duced an  enormous  profit.  The  amount  of  sales  was  paid,  in 
specie,  into  the  hands  of  an  agent,  who,  instead  of  remitting 
the  money,  presented  himself  in  person  and  unblushingly  de- 
clared that  he  had  appropriated  the  money  to  his  own  uses,  and 
was  a  bankrupt.  —  On  another  occasion,  he  imported  a  large 
amount  of  French  wines,  which,  finding  no  sale  for  them  in 
Baltimore,  he  reshipped  to  New  York,  where  they  were  still 
less  wanted  —  thence  he  sent  them  to  the  West  Indies,  where 
they  were  sold  as  vinegar,  at  prices  that  of  course  did  not 
pay  the  expenses:  thus,  in  his  own  words  again  he  '  continued 
doing  a  bad  business.1 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  year  1785,  we  find  but  a   sin- 
gle memorandum  in  his  journal,  and  that  records  the 

1785  birth  of  '  a  third  son,'  in  January.     We  must  not  omit 
to  mention,  however,  as  an  evidence  of  his  filial  respect 

and  affection,  that  in  the  early  part  of  this  year,  he  persuaded 

his  mother  to  take   up  her  residence  in  his  family,   which  she 

never  afterwards  quitted.  —  In  1786,  in  addition  to  his 

1786  regular  business,  he  became  concerned,  as  a  'sleeping 
partner'  —  we  believe  such  is  the  phrase  —  in  a  specu- 
lation with  another  house,  which  turned  out  even  more  ruinous 
to  him  than  his  own  firm,  for  not  a  dollar  of  his  advances  ever 
came  back  to  him.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  he  was  induced, 
by  the  hope  of  being  able  to  recover  something  from  his  Ha- 
vana agent,  who  was  then  in  that  part  of  the  country,  to  visit 
Savannah  and  Charleston,  where  he  met  with  so  many  of  his 
'  revolutionary'  associates,  and  so  much  kindness  and  hospitality, 
that  his  stay  was  prolonged  among  them  until  the  month  of 
March  in  the  following  year.  He  had  in  the  meantime  caused 
suit  to  be  brought  against  his  delinquent  agent,  from  whom,  after 
several  years  of  *  the  law's  delay,'  payment  was  at  last  ob- 
tained. 

In  November,  1787  —  having  passed  the  previous  summer  at 
home,  and  very  much,  as  the  proverb  has  it,  '  like  a 

1787  fish  out  of  water'  —  he  set  out  to  explore  his  purchase 
in   the  western    country.     He   crossed  the  Alleghany 

mountains  to  Fort  Pitt —  now  Pittsburg  —  and  thence  travelled 
to  Wheeling,  where  he  crossed  the  river,  and  wintered  among  the 
straggling  settlers,  and  native  tenants  of  the  forest.  The  scene 
was  new  to  him,  and  he  enjoyed  the  rough  but  hearty  kindness 


156 


MEMOIR  OF 


with  which  these  independent  hunters  welcomed  him  to  their 
rude  huts  and  *  hoe-cake.'  In  the  course  of  the  winter,  he  be- 
came such  an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  that  he  could  '  hit  a 
squirrel  in  the  eye,'  with  as  much  precision  as  the  best  of  their 
practised  shooters,  and  thus  won  for  himself  a  name  of  more  ac- 
count, in  the  wilderness,  than  that  which  he  had  gained  in  the 
waters  of  the  Delaware. —  He  saw  his  tract  of  land,  but  it  did 
not  seem  to  offer  a  single  inducement  for  a  very  speedy  occupa- 
tion, and  with  the  first  appearance  of  spring  he  retraced  his 
road  home,  where  he  found  his  family  increased  by  the  addition 
of  '  a  daughter'  born  in  his   absence. 

It  was  in  the  course  of  this  year  —  the  17th  of  September, 
1787— -that  the  delegates  from  the  several  States,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  meet  in  convention  at  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  a  constitution  for  the  United  States,  completed  their 
work,  and  sent  it  forth  to  their  respective  constituents  for  ap- 
proval or  rejection.  In  the  state  of  Maryland,  there  was  found 
a  powerful  party  opposed  to  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  and 
in  the  election  of  delegates  to  a  state  convention,  by  whom  the 
important  question  of  concurrence  was  to  be  decided,  the  con- 
test between  the  Federalists  —  or  those  who  were  in  favor  of 
adopting  the  constitution  —  and  the  Anti-federalists  —  or  those 
who  were  for  rejecting  it  —  was  carried  on  with  a  warmth  and 
violence,  that  threatened  to  break  asunder  all  social  ties  and  re- 
lations. In  this  electioneering  conflict,  we  may  believe  that  Cap- 
tain Barney  was  not  an  idle  looker-on  —  on  the  contrary,  he  at 
once  took  a  decided  stand  in  favor  of  the  adoption,  and  became 
an  active  leader  in  all  the  preparatory  meetings  of  the  people. 
In  Baltimore,  more  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  states  an  ex- 
citement existed,  of  which  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  present 
quiet  and  peaceable  generation  of  voters  to  form  an  idea  :  town- 
meetings  were  held  every  night,  and  the  whole  population  was 
kept  in  a  state  of  continual  ferment.  On  these  occasions  Bar- 
ney seldom  failed  to  harangue  his  fellow-citizens,  albeit  but  little 
used  to  speak  except  in  the  brief  and  energetic  language  of  com- 
mand, and  was  generally  listened  to  with  more  attention  than 
better  orators ;  but  notwithstanding  the  strong  parly  which  always 
followed  him  as  their  Palinurus,  at  one  of  these  meetings  he 
received  a  blow  from  some  concealed  enemy,  which  had  well 
nigh  terminated  his  electioneering  and  his  life  at  once.  He  was 
never  able  to  discover  from  whom  the  stroke  came,  but  he  car- 
ried the  mark  of  it  on  him  to  his  grave.  At  length  the  day  of 
election  came,  and  the  party  which  he  had  espoused  proved 
victorious  —  a  delegate,  friendly  to  the    proposed  constitution, 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  157 

was  elected  to  the  convention  by  a  large  majority,  and  he  en- 
joyed the  triumph  as  another  achievement  over  the  enemies  of 
his  country. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  178S,  the  state  convention,  after  an  able 
and  animated  debate,  which  forms  a  rich  and  lasting 
17S8  monument  of  the  talents  that  then  adorned  and  enlight- 
ened the  councils  of  Maryland,  passed  a  resolution  to 
adopt  the  constitution  without  amendments.  In  July  of  the 
same  year,  eleven  of  the  States  having  in  the  meantime  declared 
in  favor  of  the  adoption,  the  instrument  was  confirmed  and 
ratified  by  Congress.  The  people  everywhere  testified  their 
joy  at  this  happy  event  by  some  public  demonstration  —  in 
Baltimore,  a  procession  was  formed,  in  which  both  parties,  for- 
getting their  recent  feuds,  joined  in  fraternal  harmony.  The 
mechanical  trades  —  the  liberal  professions  —  all  united  in  the 
procession,  and  respectively  displayedatheir  appropriate  banners ; 
but  this  showy  exhibition  of  our  fathers,  has  since  been,  on 
various  occasions,  so  well  imitated,  and  indeed  so  far  surpassed 
in  splendor,  that  we  shall  confine  our  account  of  it  to  the  par- 
ticipation which  the  subjectof  these  memoirs  had  in  the  pageant. 

—  He  had  a  small  boat,  fifteen  feet  in  length,  completely  rig- 
ged and  perfectly  equipped  as  a  ship,  which  was  called  the  Fed- 
eralist ;  which  being  mounted  upon  four  wheels  and  drawn  by 
the  same  number  of  horses,  took  its  place  in  the  procession  : 
he  commanded  the  ship,  and  was  honored  with  a  crew  of  cap- 
tains, who  at  his  word  and  the  boatswain's  pipe  went  through 
all  the  various  manoeuvres  of  making  and  taking  in  sail,  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  crowded  windows,  doors,  and  balconies  by 
which  they  passed.  The  ship  was  immediately  followed  by  all 
the  captains,  mates,  and  seamen,  at  that  time  in  the  port  of  Bal- 
timore—  it  was  paraded  through  all  the  principal  streets  of 
Fell's  Point,  and  the  other  portions  of  the  city,  and  finally  an- 
chored on  the  beautiful  and  lofty  bank  west  of  the  Basin,  which 
from  that  occurrence  received,  and  has  ever  since  borne,  the 
name  of  '  Federal  Hill.'*  On  this  spot  a  dinner  had  been  pro- 
vided, at  which  four  thousand  persons  sat  down  together,  and 
made  the  welkin  ring  with  shouts  of  '  Huzza  for  the  constitution  !' 

—  This  idea  of  carrying  a  full  rigged  ship  in  procession,  origin- 
ated entirely  with  Captain  Barney ;  and  though  the  frequent 
occurrence  since  of  a  similar  pageant,  in  the  grand  displays 
which  the  'Monumental  city'  of  the  present  period  is  accus- 
tomed to  make  on  great  national  occasions,  has  rendered  it  fa- 
miliar and  common,  we  cannot  doubt  that  its  first  appearance 
excited  unbounded  admiration. 

14 


158 


MEMOIR  OF 


A  few  days  after  this  first  national  procession  in  Baltimore, 
Captain  Barney  had  his  ship  '  fitted  for  sea  !'  or,  as  he  might 
with  more  propriety  have  said,  for  a  coasting  voyage,  and  set 
sail  in  her  down  the  bay.  Off  Annapolis,  he  '  fell  in  with'  an 
invitation  to  enter  the  haven  which  he  accepted.  Annapolis, 
for  a  century  deservedly  celebrated  for  its  polish  and  refinement, 
its  courteous  hospitality,  and  urbanity  to  strangers,  was  never  bet- 
ter entitled  to  the  reputation  than  at  the  period  of  which  we 
write,  and  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  an  embargo  was  pro- 
claimed upon  Captain  Barney  and  his  elegant  miniature  ship, 
for  several  days.  Governor  Smallwood  met  him  on  the  quay, 
and  honored  his  arrival  with  a  national  salute  ;  and  then  insisted 
upon  histaking  up  his  quarters  in  the  government  house  :  dinners, 
tea-parties,  and  balls,  courted  his  acceptance  from  all  the 
principal  citizens  —  and,  but  that  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him 
to  '  pursue  his  voyage,'  he  might  have  passed  a  month  in  a  con- 
tinued round  of  elegant  pleasures,  which  more  resembled  a 
Roman  ovation  than  the  reception  of  a  private  citizen.  During 
the  two  or  three  days  that  he  was  thus  hospitably  entertained, 
the  inhabitants  of  all  ages  and  classes,  and  of  both  sexes,  em- 
braced the  opportunity  of  gratifying  their  curiosity  by  an  in- 
spection of  the  beautiful  Lilliputian  ship,  which  was  a  spectacle 
as  novel  as  it  was  interesting. 

Taking  a  grateful  leave,  at  length,  of  his  metropolitan  enter- 
tainers, the  Commodore  made  sail  out  of  the  harbor,  and  coast- 
ing along  the  right  bank  of  the  Chesapeake,  until  he  came  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Potomac,  ascended  that  river  to  the  modest 
and  embowered  retreat  of  the  great  Pater  Patrice.  —  Mount 
Vernon  was  the  ultima  Thule  of  his  expedition  —  the  destined 
termination  of  his  voyage ;  and  the  sole  object,  to  present  the 
ship  to  Washington,  in  the  name  of  the  merchants  and  ship- 
masters of  Baltimore,  as  a  memorial  of  their  gratitude,  respect, 
and  veneration,  for  the  great  achiever  of  their  country's  liberties 
and  independence.  The  retired  Chief  received  him  with  his 
wonted  kindness  and  courtesy,  kept  him  a  week  under  the  hos- 
pitable roof  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  by  his  easy,  unceremonious, 
find  affectionate  treatment,  made  him  (eel  that  he  was  regarded 
as  a  member  of  the  family.  The  accomplished  orator,  of  Ar- 
lington, the  adopted  son  of  Washington,  was  then  a  little  boy, 
of  eight  or  nine  years  old,  and  no  doubt,  if  this  page  should 
chance  to  fall  under  his  eye,  the  incident  will  be  *  freshly  re- 
membered' by  him,  together  with  the  delight  which  his  young 
heart  enjoyed  at  being  permitted  to  make  several  'cruises'  up 
and  down  the  river,  in  the  '  little  ship,'  under  the  skilful  pilotage 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


159 


or  the  Commodore  :  we  know  that  he  is  fond  of  looking  back 
to  these  days  of  his  boyhood,  and  if  we  could  be  certain  of 
having  awakened  a  single  pleasurable  reminiscence  in  the 
*  time-honored'  orator  of  Liberty,  from  whatever  clime  the  cry 
of  her  struggle  reaches  him,  we  should  experience  a  gratifica- 
tion equal  to  his  own. 

After  his  hebdomad  of  familiar  intercourse  with  the  world's 
wonder,  this  unambitious  great  man,  —  in  comparison  with 
whom  the  heroes  of  history,  and  the  military  chieftains  of  modern 
times,  sink  into  oblivion  or  the  darker  shade  of  contempt  — 
our  honored  and  delighted  friend  returned  to  Baltimore.  From 
this  time,  he  seems  to  have  remained  quietly  with  his 
1789  family,  until  the  summer  of  1789;  when  it  happened 
that  Mrs  Washington  passed  through  Baltimore,  on  her 
way  to  join  the  General,  who  had  a  little  before  been  unani- 
mously elected  First  President  of  the  United  States,  and  who 
was  then  in  New  York.  Upon  his  calling  to  pay  his  respects  to 
this  much  venerated  matron,  she  did  him  the  honor  to  express 
a  desire  that  he  would  accompany  her  to  New  York.  The 
offer  of  an  admiral's  commission  could  not  have  elated  him 
more  :  it  not  only  gratified  his  pride,  but  humored  that  rest- 
less propensity  which  he  felt,  in  common  with  young  Rapid,  to 
'keep  moving.'  To  travel  at  all,  by  sea  or  land,  was  always  a 
pleasure  to  him  :  but  to  travel  as  the  chosen  escort  of  the  Pres- 
ident's lady,  was  to  enjoy  an  envied  distinction,  as  well  as  a 
pleasure  —  it.  was  an  incident  in  his  life  worthy  to  be  remem- 
bered.—  At  '  Gray's  Ferry'  near  Philadelphia,  then  a  place  of 
fashionable  resort,  Mrs  Washington  and  her  little  party,  whose 
approach  had  been  expected,  were  met  by  Governor  Mifflin,  at 
the  head  of  his  State  troops,  and  received  with  the  honors  due 
to  the  family  of  the  beloved  Chief  Magistrate.  A  splendid 
collation  had  been  previously  prepared  for  the  occasion,  at 
which  the  principal  citizens  of  Philadelphia  were  present,  to 
welcome  the  arrival  of  the  President's  lady,  who  received  the 
homage  paid  to  her,  not  as  an  appropriate  tribute  to  her  own 
modest,  unassuming  worth,  but  as  an  offering,  far  more  accep- 
table in  the  view  of  such  a  wife,  to  the  patriotism  of  her  beloved 
and  honored  husband.  After  the  repast,  she  was  escorted  to 
the  city  by  the  governor  and  his  troops,  and  remained  for  several 
days  to  gratify  the  citizens  with  the  opportunity  of  showing 
how  much  they  esteemed  her.  —  Mrs  Robert  Morris,  the  ac- 
complished lady  of  Barney's  old  friend,  joined  the  party  from 
Philadelphia  to  New  York,  where  her  husband  was  then  in  at- 
tendance  upon  his  senatorial  duties.      The  journey  to   New 


160 


MEMOIR  OF 


York  was  happily  accomplished.  Captain  Barney  had  a  cham- 
ber assigned  him  in  the  President's  house,  and  once  more  be- 
came the  honored  inmate  of  this  illustrious  family.  Mr  Morris 
expressed  great  pleasure  at  seeing  him  again,  and  introduced 
him  to  Mr  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasu- 
ry, who,  never  losing  an  opportunity  of  seeking  information 
from  intelligent  men,  had  several  conversations  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  revenue,  which  led  to  a  request  from  Mr  Ham- 
ilton that  Captain  Barney  would  do  him  the  favor  to  think  of 
the  matter  when  he  returned  home  and  communicate  his  ideas 
to  him  by  letter.  This,  Captain  Barney  did  not  fail  to  do,  and 
the  reply  of  Mr  Hamilton  —  which  is  the  only  part  of  the  cor- 
respondence we  possess  —  shows  that  he  regarded  the  sugges- 
tions made  to  him  as  worthy  of  consideration.*  —  While  upon 
this  subject,  we  might  as  well  anticipate  a  few  months  to  say, 
that  Congress  at  their  next  meeting  passed  a  law,  authorizing 
the  employment  of  revenue  cutters,  and  that  soon  afterwards 
Captain  Barney  received  a  letter  from  Tench  Coxe,  Esquire,f 
written  at  the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  in 
which  a  desire  is  expressed  to  have  his  '  ideas  on  the  best  mode 
of  conducting  a  cutter  or  two  in  the  bays  and  sea  adjacent  to 
Capes  Henry  and  Charles,'  and  to  be  furnished  by  him  with 
8  the  names  of  some   proper  persons  to  command  and  officer 

*  Extracts  of  a  letter  from  the  Hon.  Alexander  Hamilton  to  Joshua 
Barney,  Esq.  —  dated 

'New  York,  Oct.  29th,  1789. 

'  The  ideas  contained  in  your  letter  appear  to  me  solid  and  judicious.  As 
far  as  my  reflections  have  gone  they  coincide  very  much  with  the  views 
you  entertain  of  the  matter.  At  present  nothing  more  can  be  done  than  to 
collect  the  information  for  some  proper  plan  to  be  submitted  to  Congress  at 
their  next  meeting;  no  power  being  at  present  vested  anywhere  for  ma- 
king the  requisite  arrangements. 

'  Let  me  request  you  to  continue  to  furnish  me  with  whatever  hints  may 
occur  to  you  relating  to  the  security  of  the  Revenue.' 

t  Letter  from  Tench  Coxe,  Esq.  to  Joshua  Barney,  Esq. 

'  New  York,  August  19th,  1790. 

'  Sir,  —  From  some  conversation  I  have  lately  had  with  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  I  find  he  is  desirous  of  obtaining  your  ideas  on  the  best  mode 
of  conducting  a  cutter  or  two  in  the  bays  and  sea  adjacent  to  Capes  Henry 
and  Charles  —  as  also  of  being  furnished  with  the  names  of  some  pioper 
persons  to  command  and  officer  them.  I  am  very  certain  that  if  such  a  sta- 
tion should  be  acceptable  to  you,  Mr  Hamilton  would  give  your  name  every 
support  in  his  power  with  the  President  of  the  United  States.  That  you 
may  be  enabled  to  judge  both  for  yourself,  and  others  whom  you  will  ven- 
ture to  recommend  to  a  station  that  requires  so  much  integrity, firmness  and 
naval  skill,  I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  inclose  you  an  abstiact  of  the  law, 
and  am,  with  regard, 

'  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Tench  Coxe. 

•  Joshua  Barney,  Esq,  Baltimore.' 


COMMODORE  BARNEY".  161 

them.'  —  It  is  evident  from  this  letter,  that  Mr  Hamilton  was 
desirous  of  inducing  Captain  Barney  himself  to  enter  into  the 
service  of  the  revenue,  but  that  he  felt  a  delicacy  in  direct- 
ly proposing  to  him  a  command  so  unequal  to  his  rank  and  for- 
mer services.  The  most  respectful  attention  was  gi /en  to  Mr 
Coxe's  letter ;  but,  it  is  needless  to  say,  he  did  not  take  the 
hint  of  applying  for  himself — his  suggestions  were  all  adopted 
by  Mr  Hamilton,  and  the  persons  whom  he  named  were  ap- 
pointed. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  New  York,  Captain  Barney  re- 
ceived the  unsolicited  appointment  of  '  Clerk  of  the  District 
Court  for  the  State  of  Maryland  '  —  an  office  much  more  hon- 
orable than  lucrative,  at  that  period.  He  accepted  it,  but  held 
it  only  for  a  very  short  time,  his  natural  disposition,  as  we  have 
seen,  being  utterly  averse  to  the  drudgery  and  confinement  of 
office  —  he  gave  it  up  to  Mr  Philip  Moore  who  has  continued 
to  hold  it,  through  all  changes,  from  that  time  to  the  present. 

In  November  of  this  year,  (1789)  he  was  appointed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Maryland,  in  conjunction  with  a  merchant 
of  high  standing  in  Baltimore,  Vendue  Master  for  Baltimore. 
This  was  considered  to  be  a  post  of  great  profit,  and  the  legisla- 
ture of  his  native  State,  in  bestowing  it  upon  him,  intended  to 
show  their  grateful  sense  of  his  past  services.  He  and  his 
partner  opened  their  office  in  January,  1790,  and  the  business 
went  on  so  prosperously,  that  he  began  to  look  to  it  as 
1790  the  certain  means  of  comfortable  support  to  his  family 
for  the  rest  of  his  life  ;  —  and  so,  no  doubt,  it  would 
have  been,  if  he  could  have  been  content  to  give  it  his  con- 
stant, personal  attention.  But  his  peregrinating  humor  ever 
and  anon  returned  upon  him,  and  excuses  for  gratifying  it, 
satisfactory  to  himself  and  others,  were  always,  like  FalstarFs 
reasons,  '  as  plenty  as  blackberries.' 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1790,  he  fancied  that  his 
health  was  very  much  impaired  by  his  long  residence  ashore, 
and  that  of  course  nothing  could  restore  it  but  a  sea  voyage — 
he  was  anxious  to  visit  South  America,  the  wartn  climate  of 
which  had  been  recommended  to  him ;  and  that  the  voyage 
might  not  be  altogether  without  some  commercial  object,  he 
induced  his  partner  to  join  him  in  the  purchase  of  a  small  brig, 
which  he  loaded  with  such  a  car-go  as  he  thought  would  bring 
a  good  profit  among  the  Spaniards,  and  in  September  found 
himself  once  more  upon  the  element  in  which  he  delighted. 
He  bent  his  course  first  to  Carthagena,  which  he  had  pictured 
to  his  imagination,  not  only  as  a  paradise  of  all  that  was  sweet 
14* 


162  MEMOIR  OF 

and  pleasant  to   behold,  but  as  the  very  mint  in  which  Spain 
found  her   dollars   ready  coined.     It  was   here  that  so    many 
rich  galleons  had  taken  in  their  loads  of  treasure  ;  it  was  here 
that   the  British  fleet  and  army  had  made   such  sacrifices   for 
victory:  —  he  found  it    a  wretched,  filthy  'hole,'  with   poverty 
and  misery  legibly  stamped  upon  every  living  thing  in  it.     He 
left  it  in    disgust,  and  steered  for   Havana  —  a    city   he    was 
already   acquainted  with.     Here  he  found  a  ready  sale  for  bis 
cargo,  and  the  mild  and  genial  climate  had  so  benignant  an    in- 
fluence on  his  health,  that  he  was  seduced  by  it  to  remain  until 
April  of  the  following  year,  when   he  returned  home  with  ren- 
ovated   spirits  and  invigorated    strength.      As  usual,    after  a 
voyage,   he  found  another   addition   to  his   family  when  he  got 
home  —  an  incident  which   he  always  seemed  to  record  with  a 
grateful  feeling  to  Providence  for  the  blessing  :  he  had  now  five 
children —  four  sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of  whom,  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  boast  with  him,  were  born  when  he  was  at  a  distance  from 
the  bustle  and  trouble  of  'old  women,  cake,  and   caudle,'  and 
the  ordinary  et-cetera  of  '  such  times  ! '     But  he  had  one  cause 
of  sincere  grief,  while  he   remained  at  home  this  year,  (1791) 
in  the  death  of  his  aged   mother,  whom  he  had    loved  with  the 
tenderest  affection.  —  She  died  at  his  house,  to  which, 
1791     as  we  have  before  mentioned,  he  had  persuaded  her  to 
remove  soon  after  he  had  established  himself  in  Baltimore. 
The  voyage  turned  out  '  so  well,'  and  there  seemed  to  be  so 
little  occasion  for  his  personal  attention  to  the  Vendue  business 
—  besides  that  his  health  was  '  so   much  better  at  sea'  —  an- 
other expedition  was  soon  planned,  upon  a  larger  scale,  and  we 
may  consider  the  captain  as    having  once  more  returned,  heart 
and  soul,  to  his  '  first  love.  '  —  The  little  brig  was  sold,   and  a 
fine  copper-bottom   ship,    called  the  '  Sampson,'1  of  three   hun- 
dred tons  burthen,  was  purchased  by    the  firm.     As  this  com- 
mand, both  in   its    incidents  and    results,  was  one  of  the  most 
important  he  ever  undertook,  we  shall   endeavor  to  place    its 
history  before  the  reader  with  all  the  minuteness  and    accuracy 
of  detail  we  can  collect  from  the  materials  before  us. —  Having 
taken  on  board  a  large  sum  in  specie,  a  quantity  of  flour,  partly 
on  account  of  the  firm,    and  partly  on  freight,  and  a  parcel  of 
dry  goods,  he   sailed  from    Baltimore  in    the  beginning  of   au- 
tumn, 1791,  for  Cape  Francois,    in  HispanioJa.     On  arriving 
here,   he   found  the  negroes  in  the    inception  of  that  ferocious 
and  sanguinary  revolt  which   ended  in  the  establishment  of  the 
1  Republic  of  Hayti.'     Among  the  agents  of  the  French  Gov- 
ernment at  the  Cape,  he  met  with  intimate  acquaintances  and 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  163 

was  welcomely  received  ;  but  finding  that  there  was  no  prospect 
of  selling  his  flour  or  dry  goods  to  advantage,  he  left  his  ship 
at  the  Cape,  and  went  with  a  part  of  his  cargo  to  St  Mark's, where 
he  was  fortunate  enough  to  dispose  of  it.  He  then  returned  to 
Cape  Francois,  laid  out  his  specie  in  the  purchase  of  coffee, 
and  sailed  for  Guadaloupe,  which  island  was,  from  various 
causes,  in  a  state  of  trouble  and  distress  but  little  less  than  that 
of  Hispaniola ;  he  left  it,  therefore,  without  effecting  either  sale 
or  purchase,  and  proceeded  to  Martinique :  here  he  sold  his 
coffee,  and  purchased  wine,  but  not  finding  a  full  cargo,  he  re- 
turned  to  Guadaloupe  and  there  completed  his  loading  —  thence 
he  proceeded  to  St  Eustatia,  where  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours  he  took  in  one  hundred  and  twenty  bales  of  goods  on 
freight,  and  returned  to  Cape  Francois,  with  the  expectation  of 
being  there  able  to  dispose  of  his  wine.  But  he  found  the 
market  at  the  Cape  overstocked  with  that  article,  at  the  moment, 
and  proceeded  with  it  to  Port  au  Prince,  without  being  more 
fortunate.  At  this  place  he  freighted  a  small  sloop  and  sent 
her  along  the  coast,  but  found  still  no  success  in  getting  rid  of 
his  wine.  In  a  state  of  despair  as  to  the  fate  of  his  specula- 
tion, he  returned  once  more  to  Cape  Francois,  where  he  ar- 
rived at  one  of  those  lucky  moments  that  sometimes  occur  in 
trade,  and  sold  all  his  wine. at  a  profit  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  per  cent!  This  was  an  ample  recompense  for 
the  delay  in  finding  a  market.  He  remitted  a  part  of  the  pro- 
ceeds in  bills  and  sugar  to  his  partner,  and  with  the  remainder 
purchased  a  cargo  suited  to  the  market  of  Havana ;  where 
he  arrived  at  another  fortunate  moment,  and  doubled  his  money. 
Here  he  took  in  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  molasses,  and  returned 
to  Baltimore  —  not,  however,  as  considering  his  voyage  com- 
pleted, but  that  Baltimore  formed  a  point  in  the  extensive  and 
hazardous  scheme  of  trade  he  had  planned. 

He  arrived  at  Biltimore  late  in   March,   179*2,  having  been 

somewhat  more  than  six  months  trading  among  the 
1792     French  and  Spanish  Islands  in   the  West  Indies.     He 

remained  only  long  enough  to  land  his  sugar  and  molas- 
ses, and  take  in  a  cargo  of  flour  and  provisions,  and  before  the 
end  of  May  had  again  arrived  at  Cape  Francois.  — There  was 
not  a  barrel  of  flour  or  provisions  in  the  market  but  his  own, 
and  his  profits  upon  the  sale  were  of  course  enormous.  While 
he  was  receiving  payment  in  sugar  and  coffee,  an  unfortunate 
dispute  occurred  between  the  agents  of  the  Government,  and 
the  army  and  navy  officers,  which  drew  the  whole  town  into  its 
vortex.     The  white  inhabitants  took  part  with  the  latter,  while 


164 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  mulattoes  and  blacks  ranged  themselves  under  the  banner 
of  the  former.  A  regular  engagement  took  place  between  these 
parties,  in  the  streets,  in  which  the  agents  and  their  colored  al- 
lies, succeeded  in  beating  the  troops  and  driving  the  white 
inhabitants  to  seek  refuge  on  board  the  ships.  During  the  en- 
gagement, the  town  was  set  on  fire  in  various  places,  as  was 
generally  believed  by  the  retreating  party  :  but  it  would  be 
perhaps  impossible  to  decide,  where  both  parties  seemed  ready 
to  throw  off  all  restraints  of  humanity,  to  which  the  real  incen- 
diaries were  attached.  Battles  continued  to  be  fought,  and  the 
fire  to  rage,  for  three  days  —  and  all  vestige  of  a  regular  govern- 
ment seemed  to  be  obliterated.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
tumult,  Captain  Barney  had  a  quantity  of  goods  and  a  large 
sum  of  money  in  a  storehouse  on  shore,  which  he  could  find  no 
opportunity  of  taking  on  board  :  in  this  situation  all  he  could 
do  was  to  conceal  the  money  as  well  as  might  be  done  by 
heading  it  up  in  one  of  the  hogsheads  of  coffee — if  the 
coffee  itself  should  not  be  stolen,  of  which  there  was  not  much 
danger,  the  more  portable  article  would  be  safe.  He  had 
barely  time  to  effect  this  measure,  before  he  was  compelled 
to  seek  his  own  safety  from  the  increasing  mobs  by  retiring  on 
board  his  ship.  On  the  second  day  of  the  conflict,  when  both 
parties  seemed  to  be  pretty  well  worn  out  with  their  murderous 
achievements  against  each  other,  he  determined  to  make  an 
effort  to  bring  off  his  money  and  such  of  his  merchandize  as 
could  be  conveniently  handled  ;  for  this  purpose  he  armed  his 
crew,  landed  with  them  in  the  two  boats,  and  proceeded  at  their 
head  towards  his  store-house.  His  design  in  arming  was  of 
course  purely  defensive,  as  it  was  neither  his  wish  nor  his  inter- 
est to  take  part  in  the  broil.  —  He  was  dressed  a  le  Danton  — 
not  exactly  sans  culottes,  but —  with  nothing  on  but  his  shirt  and 
a  pair  of  sailor-trowsers",  a  cartridge-box  slung  over  his  shoul- 
der, a  musket  in  one  hand,  and  a  sword  in  the  other  —  his  men 
had,  each,  a  musket.  In  his  progress  to  the  store-house,  he 
was  not  much  annoyed  —  he  found  his  money  safe,  which  he 
distributed  in  such  parcels  as  his  men  could  carry,  and  taking  as 
many  of  the  light  articles  as  he  could  hastily  collect,  he  com- 
menced his  return  march  to  his  boats,  leaving  the  sugar  and  cof- 
fee to  the  fate  that  might  await  them.  His  armed  neutrality 
proved  his  safety,  for  every  inch  of  his  way  was  disputed,  by 
both  belligerents,  who  alternately  attacked  him  in  front  and  rear, 
and  compelled  him  to  fire  upon  all  parties  alike.  In  turning  the 
corner  of  a  street,  he  was  met  by  a  huge  mulatto  chief,  with 
several  plumes  waving  in  his  hat,  who  levelled  his  musket — but 


COMMODORE  BARNEY-.  165 

in  the  next  moment  received  the  ball  of  his  wary  antagonist,  and 
fell  upon  his  face,  mortally  wounded,*  but  before  he  could  re- 
load his  musket,  a  party  of  the  whites  fired  upon  him  from  the 
rear  ;  and  thus  was  he  obliged  to  keep  up  a  retreating  fight 
until  he  reached  his  boats.  He  lost  about  two  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  his  goods,  but  fortunately  had  none  of  his  men  hurt. 
—  There  were  at  this  time  nearly  four  hundred  sail  of  vessels 
lying  in  the  harbor  of  Cape  Francois,  on  board  nearly  all 
of  which  the  miserable  fugitives,  women  and  children,  had 
sought  protection.  In  the  early  part  of  the  riot  on  the 
preceding  day,  fifty  or  sixty  of  these  distressed  beings  had 
taken  shelter  on  board  the  Sampson,  and  Captain  Barney  now 
found  himself  under  the  necessity  of  putting  to  sea,  as  indeed 
did  all  the  rest  of  this  large  fleet.  He  proceeded  to  Limbe,  a 
small  port  about  six  miles  to  leeward  of  the  Cape,  and  there 
remained  for  a  few  days  until  tranquillity  was  in  some  measure 
restored  at  the  Cape,  and  he  was  informed  by  his  friends,  the 
agents,  that  he  might  return  thither  in  safety.  He  had  not  been 
idle,  however,  while  at  Limbe,  having  taken  in  a  large  quantity  of 
sugar  which  he  had  found  an  opportunity  of  purchasing  here 
on  very  advantageous  terms.  On  his  return  to  the  Cape,  the 
women  and  children,  who  had  remained  all  this  time  on  board 
of  his  ship,  in  a  state  of  inconceivable  anxiety  and  distress, 
from  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  fathers,  husbands,  sons,  and  broth- 
ers, whom  they  had  left  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle  for  life  and 
property,  were  permitted  peaceably  to  land  and  seek  their 
friends :  how  many  of  the  unhappy  creatures  succeeded  in 
finding  their  protectors,  was  never  ascertained.  —  Captain  Bar- 
ney, however,  did  not  suffer  them  to  depart,  without  an  assur- 
ance of  further  protection,  if  necessary,  and  a  promise  to  give 
them  conveyance  to  the  United  States.  Ten  of  them,  women 
and  children,  did  afterwards  return  to  him,  together  with  seven 
Frenchmen,  whom  he  took  with  him  to  Baltimore. — It  was 
conjectured,  that  about  three  thousand,  whites  and  blacks,  had 
perished  in  this  terrible  tempest  of  the  human  passions. 

The  consequences  of  the  fight  and  the  fire  together  had  depriv- 
ed the  agents  of  the  power  to  make  up  the  balance  of 
1793     sugar  and    coffee   still  due  to  Captain  Barney  for  his 
flour  and  provisions,  at  the  Cape,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  give  him  orders  upon  St  Marks,  for  which  port  he  sailed  on 

*  The  ball  that  struck  this  chief  passed  through  his  cross  belts  exactly 
where  they  crossed,  and  Captain  Barney,  notwithstanding  the  fire  of  both 
parties  upon  his  men,  went  deliberately  to  him  and  took  the  belts  from  his 
body,  —  this  was  done  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 


166 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  1 1th  of  July,  1793.  In  addition  to  the  merchandize  he  had  on 
board  about  eighteen  thousand  dollars  in  specie.  He  was 
boarded  on  the  12ih  by  a  New  Providence  privateer,  called  the 
Flying  Fish,  Captain  Gibson,  who  examined  his  papers  and 
money,  and  permitted  him  to  proceed — two  days  afterwards, 
just  at  the  entrance  into  St  Marks,  he  was  again  boarded  by 
officers  from  three  privateers,  two  of  them  belonging  to  Jamaica, 
and  the  third  to  New  Providence :  the  two  former  being  satis- 
fied from  an  examination  of  his  papers  that  both  ship  and  cargo 
were  neutral  property,  were  disposed  to  let  him  proceed;  but 
the  New  Providence  man  insisted  that  the  iron  chest  was  proof 
enough  of  its  being  French  property  for  '  no  American  ever  had 
had  iron  chests  or  dollars  on  board  his  vessel  !'  He  was  will- 
ing to  let  the  ship  go,  if  the  money  were  given  up,  otherwise  he 
would  himself  take  the  responsibility  of  making  prize  of  the 
whole,  and  carrying  her  into  New  Providence  !  —  There  was 
no  resisting  such  reasoning;  the  two  Jamaica  captains  were 
convinced  by  it  —  and  as  Barney  persisted  in  the  assertion  of 
his  neutral  character  and  refusal  to  give  up  the  '  iron  chest,* 
they  sent,  each,  an  officer  on  board  and  several  men,  to  the 
number  of  eleven  in  all,  took  out  the  crew,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  carpenter,  boatswain,  and  cook,  and  ordered  the 
ship  to  New  Providence.  Captain  Barney  in  vain  demanded 
to  see  the  commissions  under  which  they  acted,  and  from  their 
subsequent  conduct  he  had  good  reason  to  doubt  the  legality 
of  their  authority.  It  was  equally  vain  that  he  begged  to  be 
carried  into  Jamaica  rather  than  New  Providence,  not  only 
because  it  was  the  nearest  English  port,  but  because  of  the 
risk  in  getting  so  large  a  ship  into  the  latter  harbor;  they 
paid  no  regard  either  to  his  demands  or  solicitations,  but  made 
sail  for  New  Providence.  In  the  course  of  that  afternoon  Cap- 
tain Barney  was  further  confirmed  in  his  belief  that  the  pretend- 
ed privateers  were  without  commission,  by  falling  in  with  anoth- 
er Englishman  who  spoke  them,  came  on  board,  conversed 
with  the  prize  master,  cautioned  Captain  Barney  to  be  watch- 
ful of  his  property,  and  openly  asserted  that  he  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  '  villains.' 

This  was  a  renewal  of  old  scenes  to  our  weather-beaten  tar 
—  he  was  once  more  a  prisoner  to  the  English  !  and  that  noth- 
ing might  be  wanting  to  recall  to  his  mind  the  infamous  treat- 
ment he  had  formerly  received  at  their  hands,  the  conduct  of 
his  present  captors  was,  to  the  most  vulgar  excess,  rude  and  in- 
sulting—  'revolutionary'  epithets,  which  he  had  thought  forever 
sunk  in  the  Lethe  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  were  fished  up  again 


COMMODORE   BARNEY. 


167 


from  their  bed  of  filth,  and  liberally  applied  to  him  — he  was 
once  more  a  '  rebel  rascal'  —  a  '  yankee  traitor'  — and  threats 
to  '  blow  out  his  brains,'  and  to  '  throw  him  overboard,'  were 
continually  repeated  in  the  most  offensive  terms.  We  cannot 
say,  that  the  captain  bore  all  this  without  retort  —  such  patient 
endurance  of  insult  was  not  in  his  nature,  nor  would  he  have 
been  deterred  from  reply,  had  a  thousand  deaths  stared  him  in 
the  face;  but  we  can  say,  that  the  treatment  he  received  was 
wholly  unprovoked,  either  by  word  or  deed  that  ought  to  have 
had  the  effect  of  exciting  the  resentment  of  men  conscious  of 
honest  and  lawful  designs.  —  His  captors  demanded  all  his  keys 
—  they  wanted  to  riot  in  all  the  privileges  of  possession,  before 
even  the  forms  of  adjudication  had  conveyed  the  right — they 
would  have  emptied  his  iron  chest,  rifled  his  trunks,  and  drank 
up  his  wines :  he  endeavored  to  save  his  property  from  plunder 
and  waste,  and  thus  brought  upon  himself  the  abuse  and  ill 
treatment,  which  finally  detemined  him  to  watch  for  and  seize1 
an  opportunity  of  recovering  his  ship.  He  had  every  reason  to. 
believe  that  his  life  was  not  safe  in  such  hands  —  his  French 
passengers,  who  understood  no  English,  were  seriously  alarmed 
at  the  savage  menaces  which  the  deportment  of  the  English 
officers  made  quite  as  intelligible  as  language  could  have  done, 
and  they  several  times  expressed  to  Captain  Barney  their  fears 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  captors  to  murder  them  all.  On 
the  evening  of  the  19th  of  July,  five  days  after  the  capture,  he 
had  a  conversation  with  his  carpenter  and  boatswain,  who  told 
him  that  they  had,  each,  a  gun  and  bayonet  concealed  in  their 
berths,  and  were  ready  to  assist  him  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  — 
he  himself  had  secreted  a  small  brass  blunderbuss  and  a  broad- 
sword, and  having  agreed  upon  a  signal  to  these  men,  he  left 
them  to  prepare  for  the  favorable  moment.  The  following  day, 
the  weather  was  squally  and  the  privateermen  were  kept  busy 
all  the  morning —  the  three  officers  took  their  dinner  on  deck, 
seated  on  the  hencoop,  near  the  mainmast;  their  men  (except 
the  one  at  the  helm)  dined  at  the  same  moment  on  the  forecas- 
tle :  —  Captain  Barney  thought  the  time  auspicious,  and  step- 
ping into  the  roundhouse,  picked  up  his  sword,  which  he  put  na- 
ked under  his  arm,  took  the  blunderbuss  in  his  hand  ready  cock- 
ed, and  thus  prepared  returned  to  the  quarter-deck  —  his  car- 
penter and  boatswain  joined  him  in  a  moment,  and  he  advanced 
upon  the  three  officers  :  one  of  these  closed  with  him  and  attempt- 
ed to  wrest  the  blunderbuss  from  his  hand,  hut  in  the  scuffle  it 
was  fired  and  its  contents  (buckshot)  lodged  in  the  right  arm  of 
the  officer,  who  immediately  fell  —  being  thus  released,  he  knock- 


168 


MLMOIR   OF 


ed  down  a  second  officer  with  a  blow  of  his  sword  across  the 
ear,  while  the  third  ran  below  :  —  the  seven  men  on  the  forecas- 
tle, in  the  meantime,  being  roused  by  the  report  of  the  blun- 
derbuss, instantly  left  their  dinners  and  jumped  into  the  fore- 
scuttle  for  their  arms  ;  but  the  carpenter  and  boatswain  were 
upon  their  heels,  and  before  they  could  pick  up  their  arms,  the 
scuttle  was  fastened  upon  them,  and  Barney  was  again  master 
of  the  ship.  It  was  not  until  all  this  was  affected,  that  his 
French  passengers  made  their  appearance  on  deck,  and  offered 
their  assistance  to  make  sure  the  victory  already  gained.  The 
three  officers  were  secured  —  and  the  men  were  willing  to  sub- 
mit to  any  terms.  He  suffered  them  to  come  up  from  the 
scuttle  one  by  one,  and  then  had  all  their  arms,  consisting  of 
muskets,  swords  and  pistols,  eleven  of  each,  thrown  overboard. 
When  this  was  done,  he  summoned  them  all  before  him  and 
made  them  such  an  address  as  the  occasion  dictated  and  justified 
—  he  told  them  that  they  had  seized  his  vessel  for  no  other 
reason  than  because  they  were  the  strongest  —  that  they  had 
taken  advantage  of  that  strength  to  ill  treat  and  abuse  him,  to 
plunder  and  waste  his  property  — that,  now,  the  tables  were 
turned  :  he  was  the  strongest  ^  and  by  their  own  rule  of  action, 
had  a  right  to  put  them  all  to  death  ;  but  that  he  was  willing  to 
allow  them  the  choice  of  two  alternatives  —  if  they  would  agree 
to  work  the  ship  to  Baltimore,  he  would  pay  them  wages  and 
there  discharge  them — or  he  would  give  them  his  small  boat, 
as  much  provision  as  she  could  carry,  and  set  them  adrift  on  the 
ocean.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say,  they  unanimously  chose  the 
first  alternative  —  but  there  was  a  condition  annexed  to  this  — 
he  gave  them  very  distinctly  to  understand,  that  if  he  ever  saw 
one  of  them  attempt  to  speak  toone  of  the  officers,  or  an  officer 
to  one  of  them,  he  would  that  instant  put  the  offender  to  death. 
The  officers  very  soon  became  most  humbly  submissive  ;  made 
a  thousand  apologies  for  their  ungentlemanly  conduct;  begged 
Captain  Barney's  forgiveness  of  the  insults  they  had  heaped 
upon  him  ;  and  acknowledged  the  justice  of  his  present  retalia- 
tion. The  captain  himself  daily  dressed  the  wounded  arm  of 
the  officer  who  had  been  shot  —  the  other  who  had  been  knocked 
down  by  the  sword  was  more  alarmed  than  hurt :  he  had  scarce- 
ly a  scratch  upon  his  ear.  The  course  of  the  ship  was  chang- 
ed for  Baltimore,  and  the  passengers  now  for  the  first  time  be- 
came of  some  use  in  watching  the  movements  of  the  men. — 
Captain  Barney,  himself,  never  left  the  deck  for  a  moment, 
nor  did  he  once  close  his  eyes  during  the  nights,  but  took  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  169 

necessary  repose  in  the  day,  in  an  arm-chair  on  deck,  with  his 
sword  between  his  legs,  and  pistols  in  his  belt  —  his  cook  or  the 
boatswain,  walking  the  while  beside  him,  armed  with  musket, 
sword,  and  pistols.  No  person  was  ever  permitted  to  come 
abaft  the  mainmast,  under  penalty  of  death,  unless  especially 
called.  The  passengers  kept  faithful  watch,  and  the  men 
were  true  to  their  agreement,  having  indeed  no  chance  to  be 
otherwise  ;  for  it  was  not  difficult  to  comprehend  the  firmness 
and  intrepidity  of  the  man  they  had  to  do  with,  and  they  never 
for  a  moment  doubted  that  their  lives  would  have  been  the  for- 
feit of  any  attempt  to  rebel  against  his  authority. 

In  this  state  of  watchful  anxiety  and  fatiguing  toil,  Captain 
Barney  arrived  safely  at  Baltimore  in  the  beginning  of  August. 
He  waited  immediately  upon  the  British  Vice  Consul  there,  and 
gave  him  a  full  account  of  the  whole  affair,  offering  to  place  at 
his  disposal  the  officers  and  men  of  the  privateers,  provided  he 
would  become  answerable  for  their  appearance,  in  the  event 
of  a  demand  being  made  for  them  by  the  executive  of  the 
United  States ;  which,  he  added,  he  did  not  doubt  would  be 
done  as  he  was  firmly  convinced  that  the  privateers  had  neith- 
er commission  nor  authority  to  capture  his  ship.  The  vice  con- 
sul refused  to  receive  the  officers,  on  the  condition  of  being 
responsible  for  them,  and  Captain  Barney  sent  them  on  board 
the  revenue  cutter — he  paid  the  men  the  wages  they  had 
agreed  to  receive  from  the  clay  of  the  recapture,  and  discharged 
them  according  to  promise.  On  the  following  day,  he  was  in- 
formed by  the  British  vice  consul,  Mr  Thornton,  that  the  officers 
had  shown  to  him  a  copy  of  a  commission,  from  the  commanders  of 
their  respective  privateers  ;  and  upon  this  assurance,  though  the. 
officers  had  refused,  or  were  unable,  to  show  to  him,  any  com- 
m'ssion,  authority,  or  copy  of  a  commission,  from  any  source, 
during  the  whole  transaction,  he  nevertheless  immediately  re- 
leased them.  —  A  statement,  drawn  up  by  Captain  Barney,  was 
afterwards  forwarded  to  Mr  Jefferson,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
and  the  affair  became  the  subject  of  correspondence  between 
the  two  nations.  The  country  was  just  then  beginning  to  be  di- 
vided into  new  parties,  one  of  which  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
French  revolution,  the  other  became  the  warm  friends  and  eu- 
logists of  their  late  enemy,  the  English;  and  this  affair  of  Cap- 
tain Barney  with  the  English  privateers,  was  in  turn  applauded 
and  censured,  in  no  measured  terms,  as  it  happened  to  be  dis- 
cussed by  the  one  or  the  other  party. 

He  had  thus  been  compelled  to  return  to  Baltimore   without 
15 


no 


MEMOIR  OP  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


having  completed  his  voyage,  and  leaving  a  debt  due  to  him  by 
the  Administration  of  St  Domingo  of  upwards  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars.  This  was  too  large  a  sum  to  trust  to  the  hazard  of  the 
rapid  changes  then  occurring  in  the  government  of  that  devoted 
Island  :  the  present  agents  were  his  personal  friends ;  but  it  was 
difficult  to  say  how  long  their  power  might  hold,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  lose  not  a  moment  in  returning  to  secure  these  remain- 
ing profits  of  his  voyage. 


CHAPTER    XIII 


Historical  Reflection.  —  Captain'.B.  arms  his  ship  to  protect  her  from  insult,  and 
sails  again  for  Cape  Francois.  —  He  makes  a  lucrative  sale  of  his  cargo  :  — 
departs  lor  home  in  company  with  a  French  Letter  of  Marque  :  —  is  captur- 
ed by  the  British  frigate  Penelope: —  ungentlemanly  conduct  of  Captain  Row- 
ley :  —  B.  is  carried  into  Jamaica,  and  delivered  to  the  custody  of  the  Marshal : 

—  civility  of  that  officer  :  —  bail  is  entered  for  him  :  —  he  is  tried  for  '  Pira- 
cy' and  '  shooting  with  intent  to  kill:'—  abusive  language  of  the   lawyers  : 

—  he  is  acquitted:  —  great  rejoicing  among  the  crowded  audience  in  the 
Court-house. — The  Sampson  and  cargo  condemned  as  lawful  prize  :  —  he 
enters  an  appeal.  —  Great  interest  felt  by  the  government  at  home,  on  hear- 
ing of  his  capture  and  trial :  —  active  measures  taken  by  Washington  to  in- 
sure his  safety  :  —  his  friends  in  Baltimore  fit  out  a  vessel  —  obtain  letters 
from  the  British  Minister  to  the  Governor  of  Jamaica  —  and  especial  per- 
mission from  the  government  to  go  to  his  relief:  —  they  arrive  after  his  ac- 
quittal.—  Cowardly  demeanor  of  Captain  Rowley.  —  Adventure  in  the 
public  Coffee  House.  —  He  sails  from  Jamaica  with  his  friends  :  —  his  ad- 
venture with  an  Embargo  breaker  :  —  safe  arrival  at  Baltimore.  —  He  goes 
to  Philadelphia  : —  calls  a  meeting  of  Ship  masters  :  —  their  petition  to 
Congress.  — Animadversions  of  his  enemies.  —  He  is  appointed  one  of  six 
Captains  in  the  Navy  :  —  is  diseatisfied  with  the  relative  rank  assigned  him, 
and  declines  it  :  —  his  reasons  for  it  explained  :  —  rank  in  the  revolutionary 
War. —  His  Bills  on  the  French  Consul-General  not  paid,  he  determines  to  go 
to  France: — makes  a  contract  for  his  Firm  with  Fouchet : — sails  in  the 
*  Cincinnatus.'  —  Mr  Monroe  and  family,  and  Mr  Shipwith,  take  passage  with 
him  :  —  takes  his  son  William  with  him  —  arrival  at  Havre  :  —  reflections  on 
the  state  of  the  country  :  —  arrival  at  Paris.  —  Mr  Monroe  appoints  him  to 
present  the  American  Flag  to  the  National  Convention  :  — he  receives_//-a- 
lernization  :  —  is  offered  a  commission  in  the  French  Navy,  but  declines.  — 
Ceremony  of  depositing  the  ashes  of  Rousseau  in  the  Pantheon.  —  He  is 
robbed  of  the  Sword  presented  by  Pennsylvania  ;  —  goes  to  Bordeaux  ;  —  set- 
tles his  commercial  engagements  and  returns  to  Paris  :  —  adventures  on  the 
road.  —  Scarcity  of  fuel  in  Paris.  —  Anecdote  of  his  landlord. — Ordinance 
respecting  Bread  :  —  anecdote  of  his  Baker. 

The  avowed  purposes  of  the  British  government,  in  declar- 
ing war  against  the  French  Republic,  at  the  very  moment  the 
latter  was  ushered  into  existence,  were  to  repress  the  operation 
of  revolutionary  principles  among  its  own  subjects,  and  to  pre- 
vent the  French  system — or  in  others  words,  the  awakened 
spirit  of  liberty,  independence,  and  self-government — from 
spreading  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  In  the  prosecution  o 
these  purposes  —  not  the  less  illiberal  and  selfish  because  their 
own  safety  was  supposed  to  be  involved  in  the  success  of  their 


172  MEMOIR  OF 

pleasures — the  British  rulers  very  soon  forgot,  or  ceased  to 
think  it  worthy  of  notice,  that  there  were  nations  in  the  world, 
to  whom  it  was  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference  whether  they 
or  their  adversaries  succeeded,  and  who  had  certain  natural, 
indefeasible  rights,  with  which  it  was  neither  within  the  legiti- 
mate province,  nor  according  to  the  former  customs,  of  belli- 
gerent powers  to  interfere.  Their  great  maritime  superiority 
taught  them  to  '  feel  power  and  forget  right,'  in  the  most  odious 
sense  of  that  trite  phrase ;  and  the  seas,  which  the  God  of  na- 
ture designed  as  the  free  '  high-way  of  nations,'  were  subject- 
ed to  novel  and  arbitrary  regulations,  as  capricious  in  their 
modes  of  operation  as  they  were  burthensome  in  their  effects, 
and  founded  upon  no  juster  principle  than  the  savage  maxim 
me  penes  est.  —  Great  Britain,  in  short,  chose  to  regard  the 
French  Republic  as  a  political  Ismael  against  whom  it  was  the 
religious  duty  of  every  nation  to  lift  the  sword,  and  herself  as 
the  selected  champion  of  Heaven,  whose  divine  right  it  was 
impious  to  dispute.  It  was  about  this  period,  that  she  com- 
menced against  the  United  States  that  odious  and  insolent  sys- 
tem of  search,  impressment,  and  wanton  insult,  which  continu- 
ed for  twenty  years  to  harass  our  commerce,  distress  our  citi- 
zens, and. degrade  the  national  character. 

Captain  Barney  was  neither  disposed  to  abandon  a  lucrative 
trade  which  he  had  a  lawful  right  to  pursue,  nor  to  submit  tamely 
to  the  insults  of  a  power  that  chose  to  look  upon  it  with  an  evil 
eye.  We  have  said  that  he  determined  to  return  immediately 
to  St  Domingo,  for  the  recovery  of  the  large  sum  still  due  him 
by  the  government  agents  of  that  Island,  and  which  he  had 
been  so  unexpectedly  compelled  to  leave  behind  him,  by  the 
lawless  interruption  of  the  English  privateers.  But  he  deter- 
mined also  to  put  his  ship  in  a  condition  to  resist  the  insolence 
of  such  petty  cruisers  in  future,  and  with  the  consent  of  his 
partner,  he  armed  her  with  sixteen  guns  and  thirty  men  ;  in 
addition  to  which  he  had  thirty  Frenchmen  on  board  as  pas- 
sengers. He  arrived  at  Cape  Francois  on  the  1st  of  October, 
1793,  at  a  moment  when  the  agents  wTere  about  to  leave  that 
port ;  and  he  was  induced,  upon  their  promise  not  only  to  dis- 
charge their  debt  upon  his  former  cargo  but  to  purchase  that 
which  he  now  brought,  to  follow  them,  first  to  Port  de  Paix, 
thence  to  St  Marks,  and  finally  to  Port  au  Prince.  At  this  lat- 
ter port  their  engagements  to  him  were  honestly  fulfilled  —  they 
took  his  cargo  at  high  prices,  for  which  they  gave  him  in  return 
cotton,  sugar,  coffee,  and  indigo;  and  for  the  balance  of  the 
last  voyage  he  received  bills  on  the  French  Consul  at  Philadel- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  173 

phia.  The  cargo  he  now  received  was  valued  atfiftyfive  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  with  a  fair  prospect  of  great  profit,  he  sailed 
from  Port  an  Prince  on  his  return  to  Baltimore,  on  the  last  of 
December,  in  company  with  a  French  letter  of  marque  ship. 
Two  days  afterwards  they  fell  in  with  an  English  privateer, 
schooner,  which  made  an  attack  upon  the  letter  of  marque, 
but  after  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots  between  them,  abandon- 
ed the  enterprise  and  stood  off.  The  next  day,  being  still  in 
company,  they  were  chased  by  a  frigate,  which  soon  came  up 
with  the  Sampson,  and  sent  a  boat  on  board  with  orders  for  the 
Captain  to  repair  on  board  '  His  Majesty's  frigate  Penelope, 
Captain  Rowley.'  This  gentleman  scarcely  condescended  to 
look  at  the  papers  of  the  ship  —  whether  he  had  previously 
known  Captain  Barney,  or  had  been  excited  by  having  re- 
cently heard  his  name  in  connexion  with  the  recapture  of  his 
ship,  does  not  appear  —  but  his  reception  of  Captain  Barney 
on  board  was  accompanied  by  a  flood  of  vulgar  abuse  and 
scurrility,  which  would  have  disgraced  the  deck  of  a  fish-boat. 
Provoked  beyond  the  patience  of  his  temper,  Captain  Barney 
instantly  retorted  with  as  much  severity  of  language  as  he  could 
command  —  he  told  Captain  Rowley  that  he  was  a  coward,  to 
use  the  advantage  of  his  situation  to  insult  a  man,  whom  he 
would  not  dare  to  meet  upon  equal  terms,  at  sea  or  on  shore—— 
that  the  opportunity  might  come  for  retaliation,  when  he  should 
remember  the  poltron  who  commanded  the  English  frigate  Pen- 
elope !  —  Captain  Rowley  did  not  suffer  him  to  finish  his  re- 
ply, but  ordered  him  between  two  guns,  and  placed  a  sentinel 
over  him,  to  whom  he  gave  orders,  if  he  spoke  or  attempted  to 
quit  the  space  allotted  to  him  to  '  blow  the  rascaVs  brains  out ! ' 
—  He  next  took  out  all  the  crew  of  the  Sampson,  and  the  pas- 
sengers, and  ordered  the  ship  for  Jamaica,  whither  he  followed 
with  the  frigate,  after  having  first  come  up  with  and  captured 
the  French  letter  of  marque  that  had  been  in  company  with 
the  Sampson. 

On  their  arrival  at  Port  Royal,  in  Jamaica,  Captain  Barney 
was  called  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  sent  in  a  boat  to 
Kingston,  where  he  was  taken  before  the  Clerk  of  the  Admi- 
ralty and  examined — after  which  he  was  led  before  several 
sitting  Magistrates,  and  by  them  committed  to  prison.  The 
Marshal,  Mr  Frasier,  who  was  ordered  to  take  him  into  custody, 
offered  him  his  own  house  as  a  prison,  and  behaved  to  him  with 
great  kindness  and  civility  — treatment  which  no  man  was  ever 
more  ready  to  acknowledge,  in  friend  or  foe,  than  Captain 
Barney,  as  the   reader  has  had  more  than  one  occasion  to  ob- 


J74  MEMOIR  OF 

serve.  It  was  probably  by  tbe  advice  of  this  friendly  officer, 
that  Captain  Barney  sued  out  a  writ  of  Habeas  Corpus,  that 
he  might  be  removed  to  Spanishtoivn,  the  capital  of  the  Islands, 
and  the  residence  of  the  Chief  Judge.  Upon  being  brought 
before  this  high  judicial  functionary  and  examined,  he  was  im- 
mediately admitted  to  bail,  upon  the  recognizance  of  Mr  Balen- 
tine,  of  the  House  of  '  Balentine  and  Fairly,'  who  were 
1794  his  friends  not  only  on  this  but  on  every  other  occasion, 
where  their  services  were  needed.  —  His  ship  was 
brought  to  the  wharf,  discharged,  and  everything  delivered  into 
the  possession  of  the  Agent  of  the  Frigate. 

After  considerable  delay,  the  session  of  the  Admiralty  Court 
came  on,  and  the   Grand  Jury  found  two  Bills  against  Joshua 
Barney  —  the  one  for  '  Piracy'  —  the  other  for  'shooting  with 
intention  to  kill.'     But  these  formidable  indictments,  enough  to 
alarm  men    of  ordinary  nerves,  created  no  uneasiness  in   the 
mind  of  the  accused,  particularly  as  he  was  still  permitted  to  be 
at  large  upon   the  bail  already   given.      He  had  not  yet  lost  his 
confidence   in  the    integrity  of  British  Admiralty   Courts,  and 
felt  strong  in  the  consciousness  that,  in  retaking   his  own   ship, 
he  had   done  nothing  more  than   was  justifiable  by  the  laws  of 
God  and  man.     It  was,  to  be  sure,  something  unexpected,  that 
an  affair  which  was  at  that  moment  in  discussion   between  the 
two  governments,  should  be  brought  against  him  by  a  colonial 
tribunal,  which  must  unavoidably  act  upon   ex  parte  evidence, 
since  none  of  the  persons  who  had  been  with  him  in  the  ship 
were  present  to  give  testimony  in  his  behalf:  he  had  supposed, 
when  required   to  give  bail,  that  the  accusations  against  him 
would   be  confined   to  the  matter  of  his    present  capture,  but 
still  he   was  willing  they  should  inquire  into  the  transactions  of 
his  whole  life,  for  if  governed   by  a   regard  for   equity  he  was 
satisfied  no  jury  could  be  found  to  pronounce  him  guilty.     On 
the  day  set  for  his  trial,   which  did  not  take  place  until  March, 
he  was  among  the  first  individuals  in  the  Court-room  :  when 
the  Court  opened,  he  was  called  to  the  bar,  and    allowed  to  sit 
down  —  his  friend  Mr  Balentine  occupied  a  seat  near  him  ;  an 
immense    audience  filled  the  courtroom,   chiefly  composed  of 
captured  Americans,  who  were  then  waiting  their  own  trials,  or 
rather  the  decision  of  the  court  upon  their  vessels.     Mr  Attor- 
ney General  opened  the  case  in  a  speech  of  considerable  length, 
in  which  he  chose  to  indulge  himself  in  great  severity  of  remark 
upon  the  lawless  conduct  of  this  piratical  American,  and   his 
attempt  to  murder  the  subjects  of  His  Majesty  in  cold  blood. 
He   was  followed  by  one  of   the  most  distinguished  advocates 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  175 

of  the  place,  who  had  been  employed  by  the  government  to 
assist  in  the  prosecution  :  he  tried  to  excite  the  passions  and 
prejudices  of  the  jury  by  an  appeal  to  their  loyalty  —  he  char- 
acterized the  prisoner  at  the  bar  as  a  blood-thirsty  jacobin,  an 
outlaw,  who  had  received  the  fraternal  hug  from  the  infernal 
nest  of  sans  culottes  in  St  Domingo  —  he  hinted  at  the  daring 
insolence  he  had  recently  shown  to  one  of  His  Majesty's  officers, 
whose  great  humanity  alone  had  prevented  him  from  saving  the 
jury  the  trouble  of  this  trial,  by  a  summary  sentence  of  death 
upon  this  old  and  hardened  offender !  — Several  witnesses  were 
examined  for  the  prosecution,  the  principal  one  of  whom  was 
the  officer  who,  in  the  struggle  to  wrest  the  blunderbuss  from  the 
hands  of  the  prisoner,  had  received  its  load  of  buckshot  in  his 
arm  —  the  same  cowardly  wretch,  who  had  afterwards,  in  the 
most  humble  manner,  begged  pardon  of  Barney,  for  his  drunken 
insults,  and  justified  him  for  his  retaliation.  This  fellow,  in  his 
eagerness  to  convict  the  man  to  whose  humanity  and  kindness 
he  had  been  indebted  for  the  cure  of  his  wound,  as  is  often  the 
case  with  over-anxious  witnesses,  proved  rather  too  much  — 
and  so  completely  satisfied  the  jury  of  his  own  unworthiness  of 
credit,  that  when  the  prisoner's  counsel  got  up  to  address  them, 
they  intimated  that  it  was  unnecessary  !  a  general  movement 
took  place  in  the  crowd,  the  jury  rose  from  their  seats,  and  the 
Judge,  commanding  silence,  asked  them  if  they  had  anything 
to  say — their  foreman  answered  that  the  jury  had  made  up 
their  minds,  and  he  thought  there  was  no  occasion  to  waste  the 
time  of  the  Court  in  listening  to  a  reply  to  what  had  been  said. 
The  usual  question  was  then  asked  by  the  clerk  of  the  Court, 
and  a  verdict  rendered  of  '  Not  Guilty  ! ' —  The  Judge  re- 
marked in  an  audible  whisper,  that  he  perfectly  coincided  with 
the  opinion  of  the  jury,  and  then  turning  to  the  prisoner  at  the 
bar,  said,  '  Sir,  you  are  at  liberty  to  withdraw  !  '  —  An  imme- 
diate bustle  and  stir  from  all  quarters  announced  the  general 
satisfaction  at  the  verdict  —  for  even  among  the  English  part  of 
the  audience  Captain  Barney  had  many  friends  who  were  sin- 
cerely rejoiced  at  this  full  and  honorable  acquittal.  They  retir- 
ed to  a  tavern,  where  many  of  the  jurors  soon  after  joined 
them,  and  a  large  company  dined  together  and  spent  the  after- 
noon  in  convivial  festivity. 

It  was  not  altogether  a  friendly  interest  in  the  fate  of  Cap- 
tain Barney,  which  had  led  to  this  general  rejoicing  at  the  ver- 
dict of  the  jury —  for  many  of  the  Americans  were  entirely 
unacquainted  either  with  his  character  or  person,  and  could  not 
therefore  be  supposed  to  feel  more  sympathy    for  him  than 


176  MEMOIR  OF 

would  have  been  called  forth  upon  any  ordinary  case  of  simi- 
lar nature  ;  but  there  were  unfortunately  not  less  than  sixty 
captured  American  vessels  then  lying  at  the  port,  brought  in 
under  the  first  famous  '  Orders  of  Council'  of  June,  1793,  and 
the  issue  of  his  trial  was  regarded  as  a  favorable  indication  of 
the  dispositions  of  the  Court  and  jury$  from  which  each  man 
drew  an  augury  of  security  for  his  own  property.  Alas  !  their 
hopes  were  doomed  to  cruel  disappointment :  not  a  single 
vessel,  we  believe,  escaped  condemnation.  —  The  trial  of  the 
Sampson  next  came  on  ;  but  there  was  no  longer  a  jury  —  and 
the  Judge  had  exhausted  his  complaisance  in  the  personal  trial 
of  the  captain  and  owner  :  he  gave  sentence  of  condemnation 
against  ship  and  cargo  as  lawful  prize  to  His  Majesty,  to  which 
Captain  Barney's  counsel  immediately  entered  an  appeal,  but 
with  little  chance  of  more  justice,  at  a  moment  when  the  '  Mis- 
tress of  the  Seas'  was  at  once  the  maker  and  expounder  of 
national  law. 

Captain  Barney  had  not  failed,  by  the  first  opportunity  that 
occurred  after  his  arrival  at  Jamaica,  to  give  information  of  his 
capture  to  his  friends  at  home ;  and  when  put  upon  trial  for  his 
life,  he  addressed  a  statement  of  the  case  to  his  government, 
which  produced  an  immediate  action  in  his  behalf.  A  serious 
remonstrance  was  made  by  the  Secretary  of  State  to  the  British 
minister  at  Philadelphia,  and  General  Washington  was  so 
warmly  interested  in  the  safety  of  his  gallant  countryman,  that 
he  threatened  a  fearful  retaliation  in  the 'event  of  any  personal  in- 
fliction upon  him.  The  effect  of  this  interference  of  the 
government  in  his  behalf,  though  it  proved  to  be  unnecessary,  and 
came  too  late  to  be  of  service  had  his  personal  safety  been  de- 
pendent upon  it,  was  nevertheless  made  visible,  to  an  extent 
extremely  gratifying  to  Captain  Barney,  before  he  left  Jamaica. 
While  he  was  seeking  the  means  of  returning,  to  the  United 
States,  after  the  condemnation  of  his  vessel  and  cargo,  a  Pilot- 
boat  arrived  from  Baltimore  which  had  been  despatched  ex- 
pressly for  him.  A  strict  embargo  existed  at  the  moment  in  all 
the  ports  of  the  United  States  ;  but  an  especial  permission 
had  been  obtained  from  the  President  for  this  occasion  — 
the  boat  had  been  fitted  out  by  his  friends  in  Baltimore, 
and  manned  by  volunteers  zealous  and  eager  to  bring  him 
relief:  such  eagerness  and  anxiety,  indeed,  did  they  manifest 
on  his  account,  that  though  their  boat  was  dismasted  by  a  gale 
in  the  Gulf  stream,  instead  of  putting  back  to  refit,  they  deter- 
mined to  proceed  with  their  oars  and  sweeps,  and  such  jury- 
masts  as  they  could  rig  up  from  the  spars  on  board ;  and  thus 


COMMODORE  BARNEY-  177 

succc  eded  in  reaching  Jamaica,  after  incredible  labors  and  fa- 
tigue, nearly  exhausted  and  worn  out.  They  brought  des- 
patches from  the  British  minister  to  the  Governor  of  the  Island, 
the  nature  of  which  may  be  inferred  from  their  effect  upon  His 
Excellency,  who  sent  immediately  for  Captain  Barney  —  assur- 
ed him  of  his  ignorance  of  the  predicament  in  which  he  had 
stood ;  gave  him  a  polite  invitation  to  dine  with  him  :  and  made 
him  the  bearer  of  his  answer  to  the  despatches  of  the  minister. 
All  this,  however,  was  but  little  calculated  to  compensate  the 
captain  for  the  loss  of  his  vessel  and  cargo  ;  of  which  he  could 
not  help  thinking  he  had  been  robbed,  with  as  little  show  of  rea- 
son or  justice  as  the  highwayman  can  offer,  who  takes  the  purse 
of  the  traveller  with  a  pistol  pointed  at  his  head.  But  the  ar- 
rival of  the  pilot-boat,  (manned  as  she  was  by  individuals  who 
had  given  such  proofs  of  personal  attachment,)  and  the  know- 
ledge of  the  interest  which  his  case  had  excited  at  home,  were  in- 
deed sources  of  consolation,  from  which  he  could  not  only  draw 
present  relief  and  contentment  but  future  gratification  and  hap- 
piness. 

During  the  day  or  two  that  he  continued  at  Jamaica,  after 
the  arrival  of  the  pilot-boat,  he  had  reason  to  be  confirmed  in 
the  opinion  he  had  formed,  and  expressed,  of,  and  to,  the  com- 
mander of  the  frigate  Penelope — that  he  was  a  poltron  who 
would  not  dare  to  face  him  upon  equal  ground.  Previous  to 
the  trial  for  piracy,  Captain  Rowley  was  in  the  habit  of  show- 
,ing  himself  in  the  streets  every  day;  but  after  the  acquital  of 
Captain  Barney,  he  was  never  seen  on  shore  !  If  this  had 
been  the  only  evidence,  however,  of  that  officer's  unworthy  bear- 
ing, we  should  have  passed  it  over  without  notice ;  but  he  de- 
scended to  a  meanness  that  deserves  to  be  exposed.  —  As  Captain 
Barney  was  walking  the  street,  alone,  one  evening  about  dusk, 
he  heard  a  voice  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  way  calling  out 
—  'Barney,  take  care  of  yourself!  Look  behind  you!'  — 
He  whirled  upon  his  heel  immediately,  drawing  a  pistol  from 
his  pocket  at  the  same  instant,  and  perceived  a  stout  ruffian  in 
sailor's  apparel,  with  an  uplifted  club  in  his  hand,  which  but  for 
the  timely  warning  he  had  received,  would  in  another  moment 
have  felled  him  to  the  earth  from  behind.  The  sight  of  the 
pistol  presented  at  him  induced  the  ruffian  to  drop  his  club  and 
run  oft —  it  was  afterwards  ascertained,  to  the  complete  satisfac- 
tion of  Barney  and  his  friends,  that  this  fellow  had  been  employ- 
ed by  Captain  Rowley  I  —  On  another  occasion,  being  in  a 
coffee-house,  where  a  number  of  persons  were  assembled  in 
various  groups,  he  heard  his  own  name  mentioned  in  abusive 
language,  coupled  with  the  expression  of  a  wish  by  the  speaker. 


178 


MEMOIR  OF 


that  he  '  could  meet  with  the  rascal  !'  —  He  walked  deliberately 
up  to  the  group  from  which  the  voice  proceeded,  and  discovering 
his  abuser  to  be  an  officer  of  the  Penelope,  announced  himself 
as  the  person  the  other  seemed  so  desirous 'to  fall  in  with'  — 
the  officer  declined  any  effort  to  carry  his  threat  into  execution, 
and  Barney  tweaking  him  by  the  nose,  kicked  him  out  of  the 
coffee-house,  to  the  no  small  amusement  of  the  Americans 
present,  and,  what  was  somewhat  more  surprising,  to  the  appa- 
rent gratification  of  a  number  of  British  officers  both  naval 
and  military,  who  made  a  part  of  the  company.  The  disgraced 
officer  was  not  seen  in  the  coffee-house  afterwards,  so  long  as 
Barney  remained. 

The  moment  the  little  pilot-boat  was  new  masted  and  prop- 
erly refitted,  Captain  Barney  embarked,  with  his  mate  and  as 
many  of  his  former  crew  as  he  could  take,  and  sailed  for  Balti- 
more. —  It  was  the  singular  fortune  of  this  extraordinary  man, 
never  to  be  at  sea,  in  any  situation,  without  encountering  an  ad- 
venture of  some  sort.  On  the  passage  home,  they  spoke  a 
small  schooner,  that  said  she  w7as  from  Nortli  Carolina,  bound 
to  St  Augustine.  Barney  inquired  if  the  embargo  had  been 
raised  ;  and  the  negative  reply  from  the  schconer  convinced 
him,  that  she  was  bound  to  some  of  the  British  Islands  in  viola- 
tion of  the  law :  he  determined  at  once  to  take  upon  himself 
the  responsibility  of  stopping  her,  and  for  that  purpose  boarded 
and  took  possession  of  her,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States. 
The  skipper,  finding  it  no  joke,  then  confessed  that  he  was 
bound  to  New  Providence  with  corn  and  flour.  —  Barney,  with 
no  other  authority  than  that  which  belongs  to  every  good  citizen 
who  feels  himself  an  integral  part  of  the  nation,  put  an  officer 
and  men  on  board  and  ordered  her  to  follow  him  to  Baltimore. 

—  On  his  arrival  there,  he  went  immediately  to  Philadelphia  to 
report  to  the  government  what  he  had  lone  —  his  conduct  re- 
ceived the  approbation  of  Mr  Randolph  then  Secretary  of  State 

—  the  schooner  was  tried  and  condemned  under  the  laws  of 
the  United  States,  and  Barney  incurred  the  lasting  hatred  of  all 
the  British  partisans  in  the  country.* 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  May,  1794,  that  he  arrived  in 
Baltimore,  after  his  last  unfortunate  voyage  with  the  Sampson  : 
the  embargo  law  would  expire,  by  the  terms  of  its  limitation, 
on  the  25th  of  the  same  month  :  —  he  had  been  long  enough 
in  a  British  Island,  not  only  perfectly  to  comprehend  the  pow- 
erful operation  of  the  embargo  system,  strictly  enforced,  upon 
the  vital  interests  of  the  English  colonies,  but  to  have  his  indig- 

•  See  Note  A,  at  the  end  of  Appendix. 


COMMODORE   BARNEY. 


179 


nation  frequently  excited  by    the  contemptuous   treatment  to 
which  the  American  flag  was  constantly  exposed.    He  believed 
that,  while  it  was  the  policy  of  the  United  States  to  observe  a 
peaceful  neutrality  between   the  belligerent  powers,  it  ought  to 
be  their  policy  also  to  withdraw  from  all  intercourse  with  either  ; 
for  the  best  faith  in  the    prosecution  of  the  most  undoubtedly 
lawful   and  honest  trade,    would  not  save  the  nation  from  the 
wanton   insolence  and    degrading   insults  of   British    cruisers, 
which  would  naturally  become   more  aggravating  and  oppres- 
sive in  proportion  to  the   tameness  of  our  submission,  until  dis- 
grace and  contempt  would  follow  the  name  of  American  wher- 
ever it  was  heard.     He  was  convinced  that  the  only  alternative 
to  war,  by  which  we   could  hope  to  maintain  anything  like  re- 
spectibility,  was  the  continuance  of  non-intercourse  :  he    was 
sure,  from  the  observations  he  had  been   enabled  to  make,  that 
a  strict  observance  of  the  embargo    for  a  (ew  months  longer, 
would  compel  the  British   government,  either  to  abandon  their 
colonies,  or  repeal  their  offensive  and  arbitrary  innovations  upon 
the  law  of  nations  —  flour  was  at  fifty  dollars  a  barrel  when  he 
left  Jamaica  !  the  same  was  the  case  in  all  the  British   Islands. 
Induced  by  these  impressions,  Captain    Barney,   while  he  re- 
mained in   Philadelphia,    caused  a  number  of    hand-bills  to  be 
struck  off  and  distributed  everywhere  through  the  city,  inviting 
a  meeting  of  all  the  masters   and    mates  of  vessels  then  in  the 
harbor  —  a  large  concourse,  in  consequence,  assembled   at  the 
time  and  place  indicated,  where  he  attended  and  made  himself 
known  as  the  author  of  the  call ;  he  gave  them  a  round  tale  of 
his  '  experiences;'  spoke  of  the  treatment   American  captains 
received   from   British  officers ;  mentioned   the    near  state  of 
starvation  to    which  they  were  reduced  in  the  Islands  by  our 
embargo,  which  he  considered,   in   the    absence  of  war,   the 
only  measure  which  promised  a  hope  of  humbling  the  haughtiness 
of  Great  Britain,  and  restoring  us  to  the  freedom  of  the  seas  ;  — 
and  closed  his  brief  address  by  proposing  that  all  present  should 
enter  into  an  engagement  not  to  go  to  sea,  notwithstanding  the 
expiration  of  the  embargo,  for  a    period  long  enough  to  enable 
Congress,  which  was  then  in  session,  to  act  upon  the  information 
recently    received.  —  The    proposition    was    received  with  a 
burst  of  patriotic  enthusiasm,   and  every  individual  present  de- 
clared his  readiness  to  sign  an  agreement  not  to  sail  lor  ten  days 
after  the  term  of  the  embargo  law  should   expire.     A  petition 
was  immediately  got  up  which  was  signed  by  all,  praying  Con- 
gress to   renew   the  act  establishing   non-intercourse,  and   the 
jneeting  dissolved.  —  The  meeting,  the  petition,  and  their  objects 


180 


MEMOIR   OF 


produced  considerable  commotion  in  Philadelphia  ;  the  partisans 
and  agents  of  the  British  government,  of  whom  there  were  al- 
ways a  great  number  in  our  country,  native  and  foreign,  who 
did  not  seem  to  possess  a  single  American  feeling  upon  any 
question  of  policy  between  the  two  governments,  made  a  pro- 
digious effect  to  destroy  the  petition,  and  unfortunately  succeed- 
ed.—  Congress  did  nothing  —  the  ten  days  elapsed  —  and  mil- 
lions ol  American  property  again  floated  upon  the  ocean  to 
become  the  prey  of  British  '  Orders  in  Council.' 

Immediately  after  this  affair  Captain  Barney  returned  to  his 
family  in  Baltimore.  —  It  has  been  said,  by  somebody  or  other 
that  a  man  who  has  no  enemies,  cannot  deserve  to  have  friends. 
We  think  it  has  been  made  sufficiently  clear  that  the  subject 
of  this  narrative  not  only  had  friends,  but  deserved  to  have  them 
• — the  reader  will  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  if  he  have  any 
faith  in  the  apothegm,  to  learn  that  he  had  also  his  due  share  of 
enemies  :  —  all  the  '  refugees'  and  '  tories'  of  the  Revolution  — 
the  '  skulkers'  who  fled  from  its  dangers,  but  were  among  the 
first  to  claim  a  share  of  its  advantages — these  and  all  connect- 
ed with  them,  were  his  revilers  and  calumniators,  his  sworn 
enemies  at  home  and  abroad.  They  did  not  hesitate  to  call 
him  a  pirate,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  they  w7ould  have  seen 
him  hung  with  infinite  pleasure.  But  all  their  efforts  to  destroy 
him  in  the  good  opinion  of  the  government,  and  more  especial- 
ly of  General  Washington,  failed  ;  and  he  received  immediately 
after  his  return  from  Philadelphia,  the  highest  proof  which  could 
be  given  of  the  approbation  and  continued  confidence  of  that 
great  and  good  man.  —  He  was  appointed  to  command  one  of 
the  six  ships,  which  Congress  had  just  determined  to  provide  as 
the  nucleus  of  a  naval  force.  In  the  letter  accompanying  the 
notice  of  his  appointment,  General  Knox,  then  Secretary  of  War, 
tells  him  that '  it  is  to  be  understood  that  the  relative  rank  of  the 
captains  are  to  be  in  the  following  order  —  John  Barry,  Samu- 
el Nicholson,  Silas  Talbot,  Joshua  Barney,  Richard  Dale, 
Thomas  Truxton  ! '  —  The  officer  whose  name  we  have  itali- 
cized, had  been  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  revolutionary  army, 
and  as  a  compliment  to  his  distinguished  merit,  Congress  in 
1779  gave  him  a  commission  of  captain  in  the  navy;  they 
passed  a  resolution  at  the  same  time  directing  the  Marine  Com- 
mittee '  to  provide  a  proper  vessel  for  him  as  soon  as  possible,' 
—  but  either  this  was  never  done,  or  Colonel  Talbot  did  not 
choose  to  risk  his  laurels  upon  an  element  with  which  he  was 
totally  unacquainted,  and  the  resolution  of  Congress  remained 
a  dead  letter,  except  as  a  well  merited   compliment  for  gallant 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


181 


military  achievements.  Colonel  Talbot  did  not  command  a 
vessel  of  any  description  either  during  the  Revolution,  or  at 
any  subsequent  period  previous  to  his  present  appointment  as 
one  of  the  six  captains.  It  appears  from  the  Secretary's 
letter— for  we  have  no  other  evidence  of  the  fact  —  that 
Captain  Barney  had  heard  of  the  nominations,  and  of  the  pro- 
posed order  of  relative  rank,  before  he  left  Philadelphia,  and 
had  expressed  his  dissatisfaction  so  loudly  as  to  reach  the  Se- 
cretary's ears  and  induce  him  to  add  the  following  paragraph  to 
his  letter  —  it  is  dated,  *  June  5th,  1 794'  —  and  we  lay  it  before 
the  reader  for  the  purpose  of  adding  a  few  words,  in  justice  to 
our  subject,  to  show  the  loose  and  irregular  manner  in  which 
rank  in  the  naval  service  was  bestowed  and  enjoyed  during  the 
Revolution.  The  extract  follows  :  '  Since  the  nominations  to 
the  Senate  were  made  known,  it  has  been  said  that  you  would 
not  accept  the  appointment,  on  the  ground  that  Capt.  Talbot 
was  junior  in  rank  to  you  during  the  late  war.  That  the  reverse 
of  this  was  the  case,  will  fully  appear,  by  the  inclosed  resolve 
of  Congress  creating  Col.  Talbot  a  captain  in  the  navy  on  the 
19th  of  September,  1779;  whereas  it  appears  from  the  lists 
that  you  continued  a  lieutenant  to  the  end  of  the  war.  Re- 
spect to  the  justice  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  re- 
quires that  this  circumstance  should  be  mentioned.'  —  Now  it  is 
very  certain,  notwithstanding  what '  appears  from  the  lists,'  that 
in  Slay,  1782,  Joshua  Barney  received  the  appointment  of  Cap- 
tain  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States  from  the  President  of  the 
Marine  Committee,  and  did  actually  command  a  ship  of  20 
guns  from  that  period '  to  the  end  of  the  war,'  on  services  which 
could  not  have  been  entrusted  to  *  a  lieutenant.'  He  was  not 
only  addressed  in  all  official  communications  as  '  Captain,'  but 
bore  a  letter  from  the  President  of  Marine,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  expedition  to  Hispaniola,  directing  one  who  does  appear  on 
the  list,  as  captain,  to  obey  his  orders.  But  even  before  this 
period,  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  had  honored  him  with  the 
name,  rank,  and  command,  of  Captain  ;  and  no  one  who  knew 
the  subject  of  these  remarks,  or  who  has  followed  thus  far  the 
narrative  of  his  life,  could  for  a  moment  believe  that  he  would 
have  gone  back  to  an  humble  rank  after  having  once  enjoyed  a 
higher.  He  wore  the  uniform,  received  the  pay,  and  emolu- 
ments, and  commanded  everywhere  the  respect  due  to  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  navy  ;  and  if  his  name  was  not  on  '  the  lists'  as  such, 
it  only  shows,  as  we  have  said,  the  irregular  and  careless  manner 
in  which  such  ceremonies  were  attended  to  during  the  Revolu- 
16 


182 


MEMOIR  OF 


tion,  and  how  little  he  himself  thought  that  a  question  would 
ever  arise,  as  to  the  validity  of  the  title  under  which  he  was  ac- 
quiring such  renown.  His  name  does  not  appear  on  the  lists  at 
all  until  the  20th  of  July,  1777,  and  then  as  '3d  lieutenant'  — 
it  is  notorious  that  the  Marine  Committees  were  empowered  by 
Congress  to  appoint  lieutenants  in  the  winter  of  1775-6  ;  and 
it  is  equally  certain,  that,  by  virtue  of  this  power,  Barney  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  lieutenant  early  in  1776  —  not  third, 
for  he  never  served  in  a  lower  rank  than  second  in  command,  on 
board  any  vessel  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  This  is  anoth- 
er proof  that '  the  lists'  were  not  to  be  depended  upon,  as  showing 
a  correct  state  of  the  rank  of  our  Revolutionary  officers.  —  We 
have  deemed  it  proper  to  offer  these  considerations  to  the  read- 
er, in  justification  of  the  answer  which  Captain  Barney  made 
to  the  Secretary's  letter.  —  He  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  in  his 
course,  but  on  the  very  day  he  received  the  letter,  7th  of  June, 
he  declined  an  appointment  which  placed  him  in  an  order  of 
rank  below  Captain  Talbot.  He  wrote  to  the  Secretary,  that 
he  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  enumerate  all  his  objections  —  it 
was  sufficient  for  him  to  say,  that  a  mere  resolve  of  the  Congress  of 
1 779  giving  an  honorary  rank,  ought  to  have  no  weight,  when  it  was 
considered  that,  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  the  war,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Talbot  was  never  once  employed  as  a  captain  in  the 
navy  —  that  a  subsequent  resolve  of  Congress,  passed  in  May, 
1781,  had  called  in  all  the  old  commissions,  and  that  new  ones 
had  been  then  issued,  which  virtually  rescinded  the  resolve  of 
1779,  except  so  far  as  it  conferred  honor  on  Colonel  Talbot — 
that  at  the  last  period  his  own  commission  had  been  renewed, 
but  that  no  new  commission  had  been  then  given  to  Colonel 
Talbot,  who  neither  before  or  after  that  time  had  served  in  the 
navy,  and  who  was  therefore  clearly  no  better  entitled  to  have 
rank  above  him  than  any  other  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary army. 

It  was  certainly  from  no  feeling  of  disrespect,  either  for  the 
judgment  of  the  President,  or  the  character  of  Colonel  Talbot, 
that  Captain  Barney  so  promptly  refused  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment offered  to  him.  He  did  full  justice  to  the  merits  of  that 
gallant  officer  ;  but  taking  into  consideration  the  facts,  that  he 
had  not  only  never  served  in  the  navy,  but  had  never  even  been 
at  sea  but  once,  and  that  he  could  not  therefore  in  the  nature 
of  things  be  supposed  capable  of  navigating  or  fighting  a  ship, 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  without  lowering  himself  in  his  own  esti- 
mation consent  to  place  himself  in  an  order  of  rank  which,  by  a 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  183 

concurrence  of  possible  circumstances,  might  subject  him  to 
the  orders  of  one  unquestionably  his  inferior  in  nautical  skill 
and  experience,  and  certainly  not  superior  in  courage  or  intre- 
pidity. There  have,  it  is  true,  been  instances  of  men  becom- 
ing distinguished  naval  commanders,  whose  early  life  had  been 
passed  in  very  different  pursuits ;  and  if  we  are  not  mistaken, 
one  of  the  most  gallant  of  our  naval  officers  of  the  present  day, 
who  gained  high  renown  by  his  brilliant  achievements  during  the 
war  of  1812  on  the  ocean,  was  educated  for  the  peaceful  pro- 
fession of  physic,  and  actually  practised  medicine  for  several 
years  before  he  entered  the  navy.  But  it  must  be  admitted, 
that  such  '  Admirable  Crichton'  examples  are  rare,  and  ought 
never  to  be  suffered  to  interfere  with  the  justice  due  to  individ- 
uals in  other  professions  who  have  served  their  regular  appren- 
ticeship. Upon  the  whole,  we  cannot  believe  that  Captain  Bar- 
ney ought  to  be  censured  for  his  conduct  on  this  occasion  ;  and 
that  it  did  not  change  the  respect  and  good  feeling  of  the  gov- 
ernment towards  him,  we  have  the  most  pleasing  proof  in  the 
fact,  that  on  the  very  day  that  General  Knox  received  his  letter 
declining  the  appointment,  the  name  of  his  eldest  son,  William, 
then  in  his  fourteenth  year,  was  enrolled  as  a  midshipman,  and 
stands,  if  not  the  very  first3  among  the  first  names  entered  of 
that  class  of  officers. 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  speaking  of  the  last  voyage  of 
the  ship  Sampson,  we  mentioned  that  the  government  agents  of 
St  Domingo,  instead  of  paying  their  debt  due  upon  a  former  car- 
go in  the  produce  of  the  Island,  gave  to  Captain  Barney  bills 
or  drafts  upon  the  French  consul  general  at  Philadelphia,  to  the 
amount  of  thirtythree  thousand  dollars.  When  the  ship  and 
cargo  were  captured  and  condemned  at  Jamaica,  there  was 
some  cause  of  consolation  to  the  captain  in  the  reflection  that 
he  should  not  lose  everything  !  His  drafts  of  course  were  safe, 
and  he  congratulated  himself  that  such  an  arrangement  had  been 
made  ;  but  it  was  now  become  very  doubtful  whether  the  bills 
would  be  eventually  of  any  more  value  to  him  than  his  sugar 
and  coffee  had  been.  The  French  consul  general  was  either 
unwilling,  or  unable,  to  pay  them  when  presented,  and  there 
was  so  little  stability  either  in  the  forms  or  agents  of  the  French 
government,  that  apprehension  might  well  be  entertained  of  a 
total  loss,  unless  payment  were  pressed  without  delay.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  was  thought  advisable,  that  Captain  Bar- 
ney should  proceed  immediately  to  France,  and  make  personal 
application  to  the  ruling  powers  at  Paris.     The  ship  Cincinna- 


184 


MEMOIR  OF 


tuSj  belonging  to  the  commercial  House  of  '  Oliver  and  Thomp- 
son,' was  then  lying  at  the  wharf  nearly  ready  for  sea,  and  not 
only  a  passage  to  France,  but  the  command  of  the  ship  on  her 
voyage  out,  was  politely  offered  to  Captain  Barney.  —  It  is 
proper  to  state,  however,  that  the  recovery  of  the  St  Domingo 
debt  was  not  the  sole  object  of  this  sudden  expedition  to  France. 
While  in  Philadelphia,  Captain  Barney  had  held  frequent  inter- 
views with  the  French  minister,  Fouchet,  which  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  a  contract,  by  which  the  former  stipulated,  for  him- 
self and  his  partner,  to  deliver  a  large  quantity  of  flour  at  cer- 
tain ports  in  France,  on  highly  advantageous  terms,  and  it 
became  necessary  that  some  confidential  agent  should  be  on  the 
spot  to  receive  the  cargoes  and  attend  to  the  collection  of  their 
several  sales.  There  could  be  no  agent  so  proper  as  one  of  the 
firm,  particularly  one  so  well  acquainted,  not  only  with  the 
language  but  with  most  of  the  then  leading  men  in  France, 
and  thus  the  duty  naturally  devolved  on  Captain  Barney. 

It  so  happened,  that  while  he  was  preparing  to  embark  with 
his  eldest  son  already  mentioned,  whom  he  designed  to  place  at 
an  academy  in  France,  James  Munroe  —  our  late  most  worthily 
venerated  President  —  who  had  just  been  appointed  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  France,  arrived 
in  Baltimore  with  his  family  for  the  purpose  of  seeking  a  passage  : 
wre  need  hardly  say,  that  he  was  highly  gratified  to  find  an  op- 
portunity of  embarking  with  an  old  friend  and  so  distinguished 
a  seaman.  He  was  accompanied  by  Mr  Fulwar  Skipwith,  also 
recently  appointed,  Consul  General  for  the  United  States  at  Pa- 
ris ;  and  the  company  was  further  increased  by  the  addition  of 
a  French  gentleman,  by  the  name  of  Le  Blanc,  who  was  re- 
turning from  St  Domingo,  where  he  had  been  serving  as  one  of 
the  commissioners  of  the  French  Republic.  If  it  was  regarded 
as  an  instance  of  good  fortune  by  these  gentlemen,  that  they 
could  secure  a  passage  under  the  auspices  of  one  so  well  quali- 
fied to  command  a  ship,  in  every  peril  of  war  or  weather,  it  was 
no  less  a  subject  of  gladness  to  Captain  Barney,  that  he  should 
be  able  to  strengthen  his  application  to  the  French  government, 
by  the  influence  of  the  American  minister.  —  The  passage 
could  not  fail  to  be  agreeable  —  they  were  favored  with  pleasant 
weather,  and  arrived  at  Havre  de  Grace  on  the  30th  of  July, 
just  thirty  two  days  after  leaving  Baltimore.  Mr  Munroe  found 
it  necessary  to  remain  a  few  days  at  Havre,  to  allow  his  family 
to  recover  from  the  fatigues  of  the  voyage,  and  as  Captain  Bar- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  185 

ney  had  been  kindly  pressed  to  join  his  suite,  they  all  travelled 
together  to  Paris,  where  they  arrived  on  the  ikl  of  September 
—  a  few  weeks  after  the  sanguinary  monster,  Robespierre,  had 
met  the  retributive  justice  of  that  guillotine  from  which,  by  his 
orders,  such  a  constant  stream  of  blood  had  flooded  the  streets 
of  Paris. 

An  agreeable  and  interesting  novelist  of  the  present  day, 
has  said  in  one  of  his  late  productions,  that  '  there  are  no  truer 
cameleons  than  words,  changing  hue  and  rspect  as  the  circum- 
stances change  around  them,  and  leaving  scarce  a  shadow  of 
their  original  meaning.'  It  was  impossible  for  an  American  to 
arrive  in  France  at  this  period,  without  being  struck  with  the 
difference  of  signification  attached  to  the  terms  liberty  and 
equality,  here  and  in  his  own  country ;  they  seemed  to  be  no 
longer  the  same  words  —  and  most  certainly  they  were  not  the 
signs  of  the  same  ideas.  The  universality  of  the  use  of  these 
magical  springs  of  the  revolution  was  equally  a  subject  of  aston- 
ishment to  the  rational  republicans  of  the  United  States  :  men, 
women,  and  children,  all  alike  seemed  to  understand  them  as 
conferring  the  right  to  say  and  do  as  they  pleased,  beyond  which 
the  words,  to  them,  had  no  meaning.  It  was  easy  to  perceive, 
however,  amidst  the  follies  and  extravagances  of  such  an  order 
of  things,  that  much  good  had  already  been  effected  by  the 
revolution,  and  that  some  of  the  most  enlightened  men  of  the 
age,  actuated  by  the  purest  principles  of  patriotism  and  philan- 
thropy, were  engaged  in  the  task  of  teaching  their  countrymen 
the  true  nature  of  freedom,  and  the  proper  use  of  the  rights 
they  had  recovered  from  the  darkness  and  despotism  of  centu- 
ries. Time  only  seemed  to  be  wanting  to  insure  to  their  plans 
of  government  the  stability  necessary  to  give  security  and  hap- 
piness  to  the  people. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  only  eleven  days  after  his  ar- 
rival in  Paris,  our  minister,  having  determined  to  present  the 
American  flag  to  the  National  Convention  with  some  degree  of 
ceremony,  fixed  upon  Captain  Barney  to  be  the  bearelr  of  it, 
with  a  suitable  compliment  to  the  F/ench  nation.  The  flag 
was  received  by  the  Conversion  with  loud  and  enthusiastic 
cheers,  from  the  whole  body  of  members;  and  as  soon  as 
silence  could  be  restored  it  was  moved  that  Captain  Barney 
should  be  admitted  into  the  sitting  and  receive  the  fraternal 
embrace  of  the  President.  This  being  accomplished  with  the 
usual  ceremony  of  a  hug,  and  a  kiss  upon  each  cheek,  a  dis- 
tinguished member  rose  in  his  place  and  proposed  that  their 
16* 


186 


MEMOIR  OF 


new  brother,  citoyen  Barney,  should  be  employed  in  the  navy 
of  the  Republic  —  a  resolution  to  that  effect  was  passed  im- 
mediately and  unanimously,  and  the  Minister  of  Marine  was 
charged  with  its  execution.*  But  great  as  this  unexpected 
compliment  was,  it  did  not  suit  the  views  of  Captain  Barney  to 
accept  the  service  offered  to  him  at  that  moment.  He  felt 
himself  bound  first  to  attend  to  the  objects  which  had  brought 
him  to  France,  in  which  his  partner's  interests  were  involved 
with  his  own ;  the  vessels  in  which  the  flour  had  been  shipped 
from  the  United  States,  to  supply  their  contract  with  Fouchet, 
were  beginning  to  arrive  in  various  ports  of  France,  and  it  be- 
came necessary  for  him  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  that  business 
before  he  could  think  of  what  concerned  himself  only,  whatever 
might  be  his  wishes  or  intentions,  on  the  subject  of  the  unsolicit- 
ed honors  paid  him  by  the  National  Convention. 

Finding  that  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  had  not  the 
means  of  paying  him  in  specie,  as  had  been  the  agreement  of 
their  Minister  in  the  United  States,  he  was  compelled  to  accept 
other  arrangements,  which  it  occupied  all  his  time  and  com- 
mercial ingenuity  to  turn  to  advantage.  He  applied  in  the  first 
place,  to  the  National  Convention,  for  payment  of  the  St  Do- 
mingo claim,  and  obtained  a.  decree  from  that  body,  by  which 
the  debt  was  provided  for  in  the  settlement  of  the  French 
claims  against  the  United  States.  He  then  obtained  an  arret 
from  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  for  the  payment  of  the 
flour  delivered,  partly  in  cash,  and  partly  in  merchandize  and 
produce,  at  the  prices  of  1789,  previous  to  the  issue  of  assignats 
—  these  prices  to  be  ascertained  by  sworn  appraisers.  Wines 
and  brandies,  were  to  be  delivered  at  Bordeaux,  to  which  port 
he  accordingly  ordered  all  the  vessels  which  had  arrived  else- 
where with  their  flour. 

Just  as  he  was  himself  preparing  to  set  out  for  Bordeaux, 
the  Minister  of  Marine  offered  him  the  command  of  the  Al- 
exander, a  74  gun  ship,  recently  captured  from  the  English : 
it  was  a  great  temptation,  but  several  reasons  operated  to  pre- 
vent his  acceptance  of  the  honor  —  he  would  not  leave  the 
affrirooi  his  firm  unsettled:  and,  if  he  should  determine  after- 
wards to  enter  the  French  Navy,  it  would  be  for  the  sake  of 
commanding  a  cruising  frigate,  that  he  might  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  repaying  to  the  English  some  of  the  compliments  he  had 
received  at  their  hands,  and  especially  their  recent  treatment  of 

*  Sec  Note  B.  at  the  end  of  Appendix. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


187 


him.  A  line  of  battle  ship,  he  knew,  would  afford  but  few,  if 
any,  such  opportunities;  and  besides,  such  a  command  would 
subject  him  to  the  orders  and  discipline  of  a  fleet,  which  he  had 
been  too  long  his  own  master  to  think  desirable.  He  therefore, 
after  making  a  suitable  return  to  the  Minister,  pursued  his 
original  intention. 

He  was  detained  a  few  days  in  Paris,  to  witness  the  grand 
ceremony,  which  had  been  decreed  by  the  National  Conven- 
tion, to  honor  the  memory  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  whose 
remains  were  to  be  deposited  in  the  Pantheon !  Mr  Monroe,  and 
all  the  Americans  at  Paris,  were  especially  invited  to  be  pre- 
sent. On  the  appointed  day,  the  citizens  assembled  in  the  gar- 
den of  the  Tuileries  :  the  concourse  was,  perhaps,  greater 
than  ever  before  met  on  any  occasion ;  it  seemed  as  if  the 
whole  population  of  Paris  had  united  in  one  moving  mass. 
The  urn,  containing  the  ashes  of  Jean  Jacques,  was  placed  on 
a  platform,  erected  over  the  centre  of  the  basin  of  the  principal 
jet  d'oau  in  the  garden,  where  it  remained  until  the  procession 
was  formed  and  prepared  to  advance  :  it  was  then  taken  down, 
and,  surrounded  by  all  the  trappings  of  mourning,  removed  to 
the  place  assigned  it  in  the  procession.  The  American  min- 
ister, and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  who  accompanied 
him,  were  placed  immediately  in  front  of  the  members  of  the 
National  Convention,  who  appeared  in  official  costume.  The 
American  flag  —  so  recently  presented  to  the  Convention  by 
Mr  Monroe  —  preceded  the  column  of  Americans,  borne  by 
young  Barney  and  a  nephew  of  Mr  Monroe,  —  an  honor  to 
which  the  National  Convention  itself  appointed  them.  A  tri- 
colored  cordon,  supported  by  the  orphan  sons  of  Revolutionary 
soldiers, '  I^es  eleves  de  la  Nation?  crossed  the  front,  and  led 
down  each  flank  of  the  two  columns  composed  of  Americans 
and  the  members  of  the  National  Convention.  These  youths 
were  all  dressed  in  blue  jackets  and  trowsers,  and  scarlet  vests, 
and  were  several  hundreds  in  number. — The  procession 
moved  from  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries,  down  the  principal 
avenue  of  the  garden,  to  the  Place  de  la  Revolution  —  thence, 
by  the  Boulevards,  through  the'  Rue  St  Honore  and  other  prin- 
cipal streets,  to  the  Pont  JVeuf,  and  thence  to  the  Pantheon. 
The  windows  of  every  house  from  top  to  bottom,  on  either 
hand,  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  march,  were  crowded 
with  full  dressed  females,  waving  their  handkerchiefs  and  small 
tri-colored  flags  —  while  from  every  story  of  each  house  a  large 
flag  of  the  same  description  permanently  projected.     The  dis- 


188  MEMOIR  OF 

tance  from  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  to  the  Pantheon,  com- 
puting the  meanderings  of  the  procession,  was  about  two  miles. 
Arrived  at  the  Pantheon,  Mr  Monroe  and  his  suite  were  the 
only  persons  permitted  to  enter  with  the  National  Convention, 
to  witness  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony ! 

As  the  commodore  returned  late  to  his  lodgings,  the  evening 
before  he  left  Paris  for  Bordeaux,  he  was  a  little  startled  to  find 
a  dark  lantern  and  a  small  iron  instrument  lying  on  the  floor 
of  his  room  —  he  had  the  key  of  his  door  with  him,  and  found 
it  locked  as  he  had  left  it :  a  short  examination  discovered  to 
him  that  he  had  been  robbed,  and  he  soon  found  that  his  room 
had  a  second  door  concealed  behind  an  article  of  furniture  so 
as  to  escape  his  previous  notice.  His  desk  had  been  opened, 
and  the  money  it  contained  —  which  was  fortunately  not  a  large 
sum  —  together  with  his  gold  eagle,  the  badge  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Society,  had  been  taken  away ;  but  all  other  losses  were 
nothing  compared  to  that  of  the  sword  which  had  been  present- 
ed to  him  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  :  it  was  indeed  a  sub- 
ject of  heartfelt  grief  to  him.  He  made  every  possible  effort, 
but  without  success,  to  discover  the  thief:  though  he  had  after- 
wards strong  grounds,  as  he  thought,  to  suspect  the  landlord,  in 
conjunction  with  his  own  servant. 

On  his  arrival  at  Bordeaux,  he  found,  to  his  great  disappoint- 
ment and  chagrin,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  his  car- 
goes of  wines  and  brandies  for  several  months.  It  was  now 
the  last  of  November,  and  the  winter  was  beginning  to  show 
itself  with  some  severity.  He  could  not  think  of  detaining  a 
large  number  of  chartered  vessels  at  Bordeaux  for  three  or  four 
months,  and  he  therefore  determined  to  load  immediately  the 
few  that  he  could  find  cargoes  for,  and  discharge  the  remainder 
without  delay.  While  thus  engaged,  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  dispose  of  his  claim  on  the  French  government  to  an  Amer- 
ican house  at  Bordeaux,  for  cash,  which  enabled  him  to  remit 
to  his  partner  at  home  the  whole  amount  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
flour  contract,  except  a  small  sum  which  he  retained  for  con- 
tingent expenses.  He  was  thus  unexpectedly,  and  in  a  much 
shorter  time  than  he  had  dared  to  hope,  freed  from  all  business 
concerns  ;  and  believing  that  everything  was  finally,  as  well  as 
satisfactorily,  settled,  he  prepared  to  return  to  Paris,  ready  now 
to  accept  a  commission  in  the  service  of  the  Republic,  should 
the  offer  be  repeated  to  him. 

That  he  might  reach  Paris  with  as  little   detention  on  the 
road  as  possible,  he  hired  a  post-chaise,  and  bargained  to  be 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


189 


driven  with  the  rapidity  so  habitual  to  him  on  other  occasions. 
Whether  it  was  this  evidence  of  his  restlessness  on  the  road,  or 
some  other  cause,  that  induced  his  postilion  to  think  him  worth 
lobbing,  or  whether  he  was  himself  deceived  as  to  the  purpose 
of  the  postilion,  it  is  certain  that  he  very  soon  thought  he  had 
good  grounds  to  suspect  him  of  a  design  to  betray  him  into  the 
hands  of  banditti.  He  had  more  money  with  him,  than  he 
could  very  conveniently  lose,  and  was  therefore  determined  to 
keep  a  vigilant  look  out.  One  night,  having  reached  a  part  of 
the  road  in  a  part  of  La  Vendee  which,  from  its  dismal  and  solita- 
ry appearance  appeared  to  be  the  fit  haunt  of  robbers,  the  pos- 
tilion suddenly  checked  the  speed  of  his  horses,  and  in  defi- 
ance of  entreaties,  remonstrances,  and  threats,  persisted  in 
restraining  them  to  a  walk,  under  pretence  that  it  was  too  dark 
for  him  to  see  the  road  ;  at  length,  at  the  foot  of  a  winding  hill, 
he  stopped  altogether  and  pretended  to  busy  himself  about  the 
reins.  Finding  the  fellow  too  obstinate  to  be  moved  either  by 
menaces  or  promises,  he  took  up  one  of  his  pistols,  which  he  had 
kept  ready  on  the  seat  by  his  side,  and  threatened  to  fire  imme- 
diately if  the  rascal  would  not  proceed  ;  the  postilion,  probably, 
either  did  not  believe  that  he  had  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  or  trust- 
ed to  the  darkness  to  escape,  for  the  threat  had  no  effect  upon 
him,  and  Barney  pulled  the  trigger  —  fortunately  for  them  both? 
perhaps,  the  pistol  burst  in  his  hand  ;  but  the  report  was  enough 
to  convince  the  fellow  that  the  threat  was  no  joke,  and  without 
waiting  for  a  repetition  of  the  order  to  proceed,  he  gave  a  tre- 
mendous crack  with  his  whip,  that  almost  rivalled  the  explo- 
sion, and  was  off  in  a  moment  at  full  speed  up  the  hill :  for  the 
remainder  of  the  stage,  no  man  was  ever  driven  more  entirely 
to  his  satisfaction  than  our  nocturnal  traveller.  At  the  next 
post,  the  driver  of  course  did  not  fail  to  communicate  to  his  suc- 
cessor what  had  occurred,  and  there  was  no  further  occasion 
to  complain  of  delays  on  the  road. 

During  the  whole  of  this  winter,  the  weather  was  more  in- 
tensely cold  than  at  any  former  period  within  the  memory  of 
the  oldest  inhabitant  of  Paris.  The  Seine  was  frozen  at  an 
early  period,  and  the  usual  supplies  of  fuel  had  consequently 
been  cut  off:  —  in  the  course  of  a  short  time,  the  article  of 
fire-wood  became  so  scarce  that  its  price  was  advanced  several 
hundred  per  cent.  Captain  Barney  had  entered  into  a  written 
agreement  with  his  landlord  for  furnished  apartments,  wood, 
lights,  &tc,  and  for  some  time  did  not  know  of  the  distress 
which  generally  prevailed  :  the  landlord,  at  length,  refused  to 


190  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

give  him  his  usual  supply  —  he  sent  for,  and  expostulated  with 
him,  but  the  only  answer  he  could  get  was,  that  '  while  wood 
continued  at  its  present  prices  he  was  not  going  to  be  such  a 
fool  as  to  throw  away  his  money  to  please  his  lodgers  ! '  —  His 
written  contract  was  referred  to,  but  still  he  seemed  determin- 
ed to  hold  his  ground  — • '  Very  well,  sir,'  replied  his  lodger, 
very  calmly,  '  I  shall  take  care  not  to  want  fire,  while  there  is 
an  article  of  furniture  in  my  apartments  that  can  serve  as  fuel,' 
—  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  took  up  a  chair  and 
prepared  to  break  it  up  into  fuel  :  the  landlord  never  again  re- 
fused his  regular  supply  of  wood.  —  The  article  of  bread  also 
became  very  scarce  during  the  winter,  and  an  ordinance  was 
passed,  prohibiting  the  bakers,  under  a  heavy  penalty,  from 
furnishing  to  any  individual,  more  than  a  pound  of  bread  for 
twentyfour  hours.  While  this  ordinance  remained  in  force,  it 
was  the  custom  for  those  who  were  invited  to  dine  with  a  friend, 
or  who  made  up  parties  to  dine  at  a  Restaurateur's,  to  carry 
their  own  bread  in  their  pockets.* —  Whether  all  the  Paris  ba- 
kers were  as  honest  in  their  observance  of  the  ordinance  as  the 
one  who  supplied  Barney,  or  whether  even  he  extended  his  lib- 
eral construction  of  it  to  others  of  his  customers,  we  cannot 
undertake  to  say  ;  he  caused  it,  however,  to  be  made  known  to 
1  Citoyen  le  Capitainef  that,  as  the  reglement  confined  its  re- 
strictions to  bread,  properly  so  called,  if  he  would  allow  him  to 
put  tant  soit  peu  of  butter,  or  lard,  into  the  flour,  the  mixture 
might  be  called  pastry,  and  the  ordinance  thus  evaded  ! 

*  The  accomplished  author  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  works  of  the 
present  day,  — '  Memoirs  of  the  Empress  Josephine'  —  gives  the  following' 
confirmation  of  this  singular  fact :  *  Throughout  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  year  1795,  so  frightful  a  famine  desolated  France,  that  bread  was  sub- 
jected to  a  legal  restriction  both  in  quality  and  quantity,  two  ounces  only, 
of  a  mixed  flour,  being  allowed  to  each  person  throughout  the  sections  of 
Paris.  During  this  severe  scarcity Jguests  invited  to  the  tables  of  even  the 
most  opulent  entertainers  brought  each  their  own  allowance  of  bread.' 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


Brief  historical  Review.  —  A  commission  a  third  time  offered  to  Barney,  which 
he  accepts  :  —  is  ordered  to  Holland  :  —  takes  his  son  with  him,  and  sends 
him  to  the  U.  S.  from  Dunkirk. — Treaty  between  the  Republic  and  Hol- 
land :  —  recall  of  the  French  officers  in  consequence.  —  Commencement  of 
Napoleon's  career.  —  Barney  purchases  and  fits  out  a  Corsair  : —  his  order* 
to  her  commander.  —  New  organization  of  the  Marine  :  —  he  is  dissatisfied 
and  resigns  :  — goes  to  Ostend,  Flushing,  and  Havre  de  Grace  :  —  great  suc- 
cess of  his  Corsair  : — he  purchases  and  fits  out  others  in  conjunction  with 
several  Americans  —  and  returns  to  Paris.  — The  Minister  of  Marine  offers 
to  reappoint  him,  with  the  rank  of  Chef  de  Division  :  — he  accepts.  —  State 
of  La  Vendee  :  —  character  of  General  Hoche.  —  He  proceeds  to  Rochfort  : 
sails  with  two  frigates  to  take  command  of  the  West  India  station  : —  inci- 
dents of  the  voyage  : — arrival  at  Cape  Francois: — goes  in  pursuit  of  the 
Jamaica  fleet :  —  vexatious  conduct  of  a  Spanish  Admiral,  in  consequence 
of  which  the  fleet  escape  him  :  —  hfs  indignation  : —  sickness  of  one  of  his 
crews:  —  narrow  escape  from  a  British  Squadron. — Dreadful  tem- 
pest: —  distressing  condition  of  himself  and  crews  :  —  the  two  frigates  are 
separated  :  —  the  Harmonic  dismasted  and  almost  wrecked  :  —  affecting 
scene  on  her  deck.  —  He  speaks  an  American  vessel  for  Baltimore  :  — 
agreeable  disappointment  —  meets  with  the  Railleuse  dismasted  i  —  they 
arrive  at  the  Cape.  —  The  Corsair:  —  remarks  on  the  nature  of  Barney's 
ordem  : —  defence  against  the  calumny  of  his  enemies.  —  He  undertakes  the 
culture  of  the  sugar  cane.  —  Anecdotes  of  Christophe  —  Toussaint  L'Ouver- 
ture — Pierre  Michael  —  Raimont.  —  Character  of  Sonthonak  —  splendors 
of  his  establishment.  —  Personal  affair  with  Pascal.  —  Distressed  state  of  the 
Island  from  the  want  of  provisions.  —  He  is  solicited  to  take  a  contract  for 
the  supplies  —  accepts  it  —  appoints  an  Agent  to  act  for  him  in  his   absence 

—  and  sails  with  two  frigates  for  the  United  States.  — He  arrives  at  Norfolk 

—  state   of    his  ships  —  he   proceeds  to   Baltimore  :  —  meeting  with  hi* 
family. 

The  difference  produced  by  the  lapse  of  a  few  months  in 
the  state  of  affairs  in  the  French  capital,  can  hardly  be 
1795  conceived  by  one  who  had  not  an  opportunity  of  com- 
paring them,  at  the  period  of  Robespierre's  fall,  and  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  year.  During  the  reign  of  that 
cruel  and  despotic  monster  —  who,  as  far  as  the  spilling  of 
blood  could  do  it,  amply  avenged  the  execution  of  Louis  XVI. 
upon  all  classes  of  his  judges  —  France  was  sunk  into  an  abyss 
of  infamy  and  degradation,  which  completely  shut  out  her 
sufferings  from  the  sympathies  of  the  world,  and  left  her  the 


192  MEMOIR  OF 

unpitied  prey  of  the  most  horrible  and  terrific  despotism,  that 
ever  existed  in  any  age  or  nation.  But  from  the  moment  of 
his  fall,  she  began  to  recover,  not  only  from  the  terror  which 
his  sanguinary  decrees  had  spread  over  all  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple, but  from  the  anarchy,  licentiousness,  and  atheism,  which 
had  characterized  every  former  stage  of  her  revolution.  There 
was  a  sudden  and  instant  change  for  the  better,  in  the  very 
foundations  of  society  —  something  like  order  and  moral  pro- 
priety began  at  once  to  show  themselves,  in  the  conduct  of  the 
people,  as  well  as  of  their  leaders  —  men  of  sound  political 
views,  enlightened,  and,  we  may  add,  virtuous  statesmen,  patri- 
ots who  desired  the  happiness  of  France  more  than  their  own 
aggrandizement,  soon  began  to  exercise  the  influence  to  which 
they  were  entitled,  in  the  councils  of  the  nation  ;  and  for  the 
first  time,  France  might  now  be  called,  without  degrading  the 
term,  a  Republic.  The  Constitution  of  1795  established  a 
system  of  government,  which  promised,  more  than  any  that 
had  been  previously  attempted,  to  secure  the  liberties,  rights, 
and  happiness  of  the  people  ;  and  the  friends  of  the  rights  of 
man,  throughout  the  world,  began  to  look,  with  something  like 
hope,  to  the  issue  of  the  struggle  which  this  extraordinary  peo- 
ple were  now  called  upon  to  make,  against  the  combined  force 
of  all  the  crowned  heads  in  Europe. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  subject  of  this  narrative  felt  that 
it  would  be  no  degradation  to  fight  under  the  flag  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  he  waited  in  no  small  anxiety,  after  his  return  to  Paris, 
to  see  whether  he  would  be  a  third  time  solicited  to  enter  its 
service.  His  anxiety,  however,  was  of  short  continuance,  for 
the  moment  the  Minister  of  Marine  became  acquainted  with 
his  return,  he  offered  him  the  commission  of  Capitaine  de 
^Vaisseau — a  rank  equivalent  to  that  of  Post  Captain  of  the 
highest  grade  :  he  no  longer  hesitated  to  accept  it;  and  being 
ordered  by  the  Minister  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  for  imme- 
diate service,  he  set  about  making  those  preparations  which 
such  a  change  in  his  circumstances  made  necessary. 

But,  though  citoyen  Barney  had  been  thus  ordered  to  pre- 
pare for  immediate  service,  he  was  left  to  the  undisturbed 
agrements  of  a  residence  in  Paris,  until  the  month  of  April, 
when,  with  a  number  of  other  naval  officers  under  the  com 
mand  of  Admiral  Vanstable,  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  to 
Holland,  where  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  French  government 
to  officer  the  Dutch  ships  of  war,  which  had  fallen  into  their 
hands  on  the  conquest  of  Holland  the  previous  year.     We 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  193 

have  been  disappointed  at  finding  nothing  in  his  journal  on  this 
occasion  but  the  mere  names  of  places  at  which  he  touched. 
He  had  taken  his  son  with  him  from  Paris,  and,  at  Dunkirk, 
finding  an  American  ship,  with  the  commander  of  which  he 
was  well  acquainted,  he  placed  young  William  under  his  care 
to  be  conveyed  home,  much  to  the  discontent  of  the  youth, 
whose  natural  disposition  so  nearly  resembled  that  of  his  father, 
that  nothing  would  have  given  him  so  much  delight  as  permis- 
sion to  accompany  him  and  share  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
active  service  in  which  it  was  expected  he  would  be  engaged.  — 
From  Dunkirk  he  proceeded  to  Rotterdam,  and  thence  to 
Flushing,  in  Zealand,  where  the  ships  of  war  were  lying. 
Fortunately,  perhaps,  for  the  interests  of  Holland,  the  ships 
were  found  to  require  in  the  opinion  of  the  French  Admiral, 
such  extensive  repairs  to  fit  them  for  service,  that  before  these 
could  be  completed  a  treaty  was  signed  between  the  two  pow- 
ers, which  left  the  ships  in  the  hands  of  their  original  possess- 
ors; and  in  October  the  French  officers  were  recalled  from 
Holland.  This  inactive  and  idle  life  was  by  no  means  con- 
genial to  the  temper  or  habits  of  Captain  Barney,  and  when 
the  officers  had  returned  to  Dunkirk,  he  obtained  leave  of  ab- 
sence from  the  admiral  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  Paris  again, 
in  the  hope  that  he  might  find  some  employment  more  ^suited 
to  the  energies  of  his  mind. 

On  his  return  to  Paris,  he  found  that  a  new  object  of  popu- 
lar admiration  had  started  up,  in  the  person  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, a  young  Corsican  officer  of  artillery,  who  in  a  recent 
conflict  between  the  Parisians  and  the  troops  of  the  Convention 
had  by  superior  skill  and  enterprise  obtained  a  decisive  victory 
for  the  latter.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon  him,  and  his  great 
military  genius  was  the  theme  of  every  tongue ;  the  victors  and 
the  vanquished  were  alike  lavish  in  his  praise.  How  little  was 
it  then  imagined  by  these  ardent  republicans,  that,  before  the 
end  of  nine  years  from  this  first  display  of  his  tactics,  the  same 
individual  would  be  proclaimed  Emperor  of  the  French!  — 
The  National  Convention  had  dissolved  itself,  after  an  existence 
of  three  years,  and  the  new  Constitution  was  in  full,  peaceable 
and  successful  operation.  The  armies  of  France  were  every- 
where victorious,  and  the  Republic  had  been  acknowledged  by 
many  of  the  principal  powers  of  Europe.  —  Captain  Barney 
reported  himself  to  the  Minister  upon  his  arrival,  and  received 
orders  to  remain  in  Paris,  until  the  new  organization  of  the 
Armecs  Navales  should  be  completed,  a  subject,  which  now  for 


194 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  first  time,  since  the  Revolution,  occupied  the  attention  of 
government.  While  this  affair  was  in  operation,  that  he  might 
not  altogether  lose  the  opportunity  —  which  was  one  of  his 
principal  inducements  for  entering  the  naval  service  of  the 
Republic  —  of  pursuing  his  purposed  vengeance  upon  the 
English,  he  purchased  a  Cutter,  fitted  her  out  as  a  privateer, 
with  twelve  guns  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  called  her 
La  Vengeance,  and  sent  her  out  into  the  North  Sea,  under  the 
command  of  M.  L'Eveillee,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Republican 
navy.  His  orders  to  him  were  strict  and  peremptory  not  to 
interfere  with  American  vessels  under  any  pretence,  but  on  the 
contrary  to  give  them  aid  and  protection  wherever  and  when- 
ever he  could.  We  beg  the  reader  to  pay  particular  attention 
to  this  fact,  because  it  was,  many  years  afterwards,  made  a 
ground  of  calumnious  accusation  against  Commodore  Barney, 
that  while  in  the  service  of  the  French  Republic  he  had  preyed 
upon  the  commerce  of  his  native  country.  There  never  was 
a  more  unfounded  and  malicious  slander,  as  we  shall  have 
frequent  occasion  to  see  in  the  progress  of  these  pages. 

In  a  very  few  weeks  after  La  Vengeance  sailed  upon  her 
cruise,  her  owner  received  intelligence  of  her  having  captured 
fifteen  English  merchant  vessels,  the  greater  part  of  which  had 
arrived  safely  at  different  ports  of  Denmark  and  Holland  ;  and 
he  began  to  feel  that  he  was  about  to  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of 
ample  retaliation  upon  the  British,  for  their  barbarous  and  cruel 
treatment  of  himself,  and  their  unjust  and  illegal  condemnation 
of  the  '  Sampson'  and  her  cargo.  About  the  time  of  his  re- 
ceiving this  agreeable  intelligence  of  the  operations  of  his 
privateer,  he  became  so  far  acquainted  with  the  progress  of 
the  new  organization  of  the  marine,  as  to  learn  that  the  Capitaines 
des  Vaisseaux  were  divided  in  three  clases,  and  that  his  name 
was  on  the  list  of  the  third  class.  Indignant  at  being  thus  rated, 
as  he  conceived,  so  far  below  his  pretensions,  he  immediately 
offered  his  resignation  to  the  minister,  who  was  very  unwilling 
to  accept  it,  and  endeavored  to  convince  Captain  Barney,  that 
the  Directory  were  fully  sensible  of  his  superior  claims,  but  that 
the  difficulty  of  assigning  him  in  a  higher  rank,  without  exciting 
the  jealousy  of  native  officers  of  merit,  had  led  thetn  to  hope 
that  he  would  yield  to  the  necessity  of  the  case,  and  aw7ait  a 
more  favorable  opportunity  of  being  placed  in  a  class  more  cor- 
respondent to  his  acknowledged  pretensions ;  it  was  not  until 
after  eighteen  days  of  reconsideration  by  the  government,  that 
the  minister  consented  to  receive  his  resignation,  and  then  with 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  195 

the  expression  of  a  strong  hope  that  in  the  course  of  a  little 
time,  it  might  be  in  his  power  to  offer  him  something  more  wor- 
thy of  his  acceptance. 

The  moment  he  was  released  from  the  obligations  of  his  com- 
mission, he  set  out  for  Ostend,  and  Flushing,  where  he  found 
that  several  prizes,  in  addition  to  those  he  had  already  heard  of, 
had  arrived,  sent  in  by  La  Vengeance.  At  the  latter  place, 
having  sold  all  his  prizes,  he  purchased  another  vessel,  in  con- 
junction with  two  other  Americans,  and  fitted  her  out  as  a  crui- 
ser under  the  nameof  Le  Vengeur.  From  Flushing  he 
1796  proceeded  to  Havre  de  Grace,  and  there  purchased 
and  fitted  a  third  vessel,  which  he  called  by  the  English 
name  of  The  Revenge,  thus  ringing  the  changes  upon  the  fa- 
vorite term,  and  showing  the  paramount  feeling  of  his  mind. 
To  all  these  privateers  he  repeated  the  orders  he  had  given  to 
the  first,  in  relation  to  American  property,  and  returned  to 
Paris,  where  he  arrived  in  March,  1796. 

His  friend,  the  minister  of  marine,  had  not  been  unmindful 
of  him  in  his  absence,  but  had  so  successfully  used  his  influence 
with  the  Directory,  that  he  was  now  empowered  to  offer  him  the 
rank  of  Capitaine  de  Vaisseau  du  Premier,  and  a  commission  as 
Chef  de  Division  des  Armees  JYavales,  answering  to  the  rank 
of  Commodore  in  our  service.  This  was  equal  to  the  fullest 
extent  of  his  pretensions  or  his  wishes,  and  he  of  course  ac- 
cepted without  hesitation,  and  with  a  proper  sense  of  the  honor. 
His  orders  were  to  proceed  immediately  to  Rochfort  to  take 
the  command  of  two  frigates,  destined  for  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo  ;  but  having  heard  at  the  same  moment  that  his  cutter 
La  Vengeance  had  arrived  at  Nantz  with  several  more  prizes,  he 
easily  obtained  permission  from  the  minister  to  take  that  port 
in  his  way,  and  set  out  immediately  through  the  still  agitated  and 
disturbed  country  of  La  Vendee.  Though  the  terrible  effects 
of  the  long  struggle  in  this  devoted  portion  of  the  French  terri- 
tory, were  no  longer  so  withering  to  the  sight  of  humanity  and 
philanthropy,  still  it  was  far  from  being  in  a  state  of  tranquillity 
—  murders  and  robberies  of  the  most  atrocious  and  horrible 
nature  were  frequent,  nor  could  all  the  efforts  of  the  brave  and 
patriotic  General  Hoche,  who  then  commanded  in  La  Vendee, 
entirely  suppress  them.  From  Rennes  to  Nantz,  in  order  to 
avoid  these  numerous  bands  of  assassins  and  plunderers,  it  was 
necessary  to  pass  by  water,  under  the  protection  of  the  gun-boats, 
stationed  at  regular  distances  on  the  Loire.  On  arriving  at 
Nantz,  he  found  his  cutter,  which  he   refitted  and  despatched 


196 


MEMOIR  OF 


on  another  cruise  with  his  usual  rapidity  of  action.  During  his 
short  stay  here,  he  had  an  opportunity  of  forming  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  commander  in  chief  whom  we  have  already  named, 
General  Hoche  —  he  speaks  of  him  in  terms  of  high  respect, 
and  as  enjoying  in  a  preeminent  degree  the  esteem  of  the  Ven- 
deans  :  — his  conciliatory  disposition,  his  humanity  and  modera- 
tion towards  the  insurgent  population  whom  he  was  sent  to  sub- 
due, had  done  more  to  quiet  the  spirit  of  disaffection,  and  re- 
concile the  people  to  the  existing  government,  than  all  the  victo- 
ries which  had  been  previously  gained  over  them.  It  was  the 
good  fortune  of  General  Hoche  to  put  a  stop  to  the  revolt  of  La 
Vendee,  and  reduce  the  whole   province  to  subjection. 

Before  the  end  of  April  the  commodore  left  Nantz  and  re- 
paired to  Rochfort,  where  he  found  his  two  frigates  nearly  ready 
for  sea.  He  was  detained  here  a  few  days  to  receive  on  board 
two  companies  of  Artillerists,  and  a  large  quantity  of  powder, 
arms,  and  stores  of  every  kind,  for  the  Island  of  St  Domingo ; 
and  on  the  28th  of  May  he  sailed,  in  company  with  thirteen 
other  frigates  bound  on  various  expeditions.  The  fleet  did  not 
separate  until  they  arrived  off  Cape  Finister,  where  they  ex- 
changed greetings  and  pursued  their  different  destinations.  The 
ship  on  board  which  the  commodore  had  hoisted  his  flag,  was 
a  fine  new  frigate,  called  ha  Harmonic,  mounting  44  guns,  (28 
long  24  pounders,  and  1 6  long  nines)  and  carrying  300  men  — 
the  other  frigate  under  his  command  was  La  Railhuse  of  36 
guns.  A  few  days  after  separating  from  the  fleet,  he  captured  a 
Portuguese  brig,  laden  with  wheat,  which  in  pursuance  of  his 
general  instructions,  after  taking  out  the  crew,  he  ordered  to  be 
burned.  The  next  morning  at  daylight  he  discovered  a  sail  on 
his  weather  bow,  standing  apparently  on  the  same  course  with 
himself  to  which  he  gave  chase;  he  continued  it  all  day  with- 
out seeming  to  have  lessened  the  distance  between  them  a  single 
fathom,  but  he  had  managed  to  bring  the  chased  to  leeward, 
which  was  gaining  some  advantage.  Towards  night,  he  order- 
ed all  his  light  sails  to  be  taken  in,  under  the  impression  that  it 
would  induce  the  chased  to  believe  that  he  had  abandoned  the 
pursuit ;  the  result  would  seem  to  show  that  it  had  the  desired 
effect —  at  eight  o'clock,  the  weather  being  dark  and  cloudy,  he 
aHered  his  course,  bore  up  before  the  wind,  and  made  all  sail 
again  ;  in  the  morning  at  daylight  he  found  his  object  still  to  lee- 
ward, and  not  more  than  a  mile  distant ;  he  sent  his  boats  out 
immediately  and  captured  her.  She  was  an  English  brig  from 
Bristol  bound  to  Martinique,  with  a  cargo  which  proved  a  most 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  197 

valuable  and  seasonable  acquisition  to  the  crews  of  the  two  fri- 
gates —  for  it  seems  that  both  officers  and  men  had  left  France 
with  so  poor  a  supply  of  clothing,  that  they  might  almost  be 
compared  to  Falstaff's  '  ragamuffins,'  who  had  '  but  a  shirt 
and  a  half  among  them.  The  brig  was  laden  with  an  assort- 
ment of  dry  goods,  one  hundred  and  twenty  trunks  and  bales 
of  which  were  taken  out  and  immediately  distributed,  according 
to  the  wants  of  the  crews,  and  the  brig  was  then  destroyed. 

In  the  further  progress  of  his  expedition,  he  spoke  a   brig  ap- 
parently in  distress ;  but  there  were  some  suspicious  circum- 
stances about  her,  which  induced  a  close  examination,  and  led 
to  the  discovery   that  her  captain  had    been  murdered   by  the 
crew,  who  were  now  running  away  with  the  vessel.      Upon  a 
thorough  search  of  the  mate  and  men,  a  large  sum  (amounting 
to  six  or  seven  thousand  dollars)  in  Spanish  gold  was  found  con- 
cealed in  belts  secured  around    their  bodies.     By  the  vessel's 
papers,  it  appeared  that  she  belonged  to  Philadelphia,   and  was 
last  from  Malaga ;  by  the   confession  of  the  crew,  she  had  ta- 
ken in  specie  on  freight  at  Malaga,  to  be  landed  at  Gibraltar,  but 
before  they  had  been  many  days  out,  the  mate  prpposed  to  the 
crew,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  Spaniards,  to  murder  the 
captain  and  share  the  plunder  among  them  —  this  was  agreed 
to ;  and  after  committing  the  atrocity,  they  proceeded  with  the 
vessel  to  Palma,   one  of  the  Cape  de   Verd  Islands,  and  had 
sailed  from   thence  with  the    intention  of  entering  the  first  port 
they  could  make  in  the  West  Indies.     When  the   frigates  fell 
in  with  her,  she  was  partly  dismasted,  and  in  a  very  leaky  con- 
dition, so  that  the  attempt  to  carry  her  into  port  would    have 
been  attended  with  more  trouble  and  delay  than  she  was  worth, 
and   the  commodore,  therefore,   having  taken  out  the  specie, 
and  ordered  the  crew  to  be  brought  on  board  his  own  ship  and 
secured  in  irons,  directed  the  brig  to  be  set  on  fire. 

He  arrived  at  St  Domingo  after  a  passage  of  thirtytwo  days, 
with  the  extraordinary  good  fortune  of  not  having  lost  a  single 
man,  or  even  having  one  on  the  '  sick  list.'  He  delivered  the 
pirates  over  to  the  proper  authorities  for  trial,  and  deposited  the 
specie  he  had  taken  from  them  in  the  public  treasury,  subject 
to  the  claim  of  the  real  owner,  provided  it  should  be  proved 
not  to  be  enemy's  property.  As  soon  as  he  had  landed  the 
troops  and  stores  for  the  service  of  the  Island,  he  commenced 
preparations  for  putting  to  sea  again,  in  the  hope  that  he  might 
be  able  to  intercept  the  Jamaica  fleet,  which  generally  sailed 
for  England  about  the  last  of  July.*  He  made  known  his  pur- 
17* 


198 


MEMOIR  OP 


pose  to  the  Administration  of  the  Island,  who  not  only  approved 
it,  but  offered  him  another  ship  in  addition  to  his  two  frigates  — 
this  ship,  the  only  one  they  had  at  their  disposal,  was  a  large 
transport,  mounting  36  guns,  but  clumsy  and  heavy,  and  hold- 
ing out  no  great  promise  of  being  useful  to  him.  With  this 
force,  however,  inadequate  as  it  was,  he  determined  to  make  an 
attempt  upon  the,  generally  well  protected,  Jamaica  fleet,  and 
with  that  view  sailed  from  St  Domingo  on  the  15th  of  July,  just 
a  fortnight  after  his  arrival.  In  his  passage  towards  the  Havan- 
na,  off  which  port  he  intended  to  take  his  station  and  wait  for 
the  English  convoy,  he  spoke  several  Americans,  by  all  of  whom 
the  same  information  was  given  to  him,  that  they  had  left  the 
Jamaica  fleet  but  a  few  days  before,  so  that  he  was  in  full  time. 
He  came  in  sight  of  the  Havana  on  the  20th,  and  continu- 
ed for  several  days  to  cruise  within  the  accustomed  range  of 
the  fleet's  course,  but  he  found  his  transport  so  dull  a  sailer  that 
she  became  rather  an  encumbrance  to  him  than  an  assistance, 
and  he  began  to  wish  that  lie  had  left  her  behind.  His  patience 
and  his  hopes  were  nearly  exhausted,  when  on  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust, he  discovered  several  sail  to  the  westward,  which  he  had 
no  doubt  were  a  part  of  the  fleet,  and  he  accordingly  stood  for 
them  under  a  press  of  canvas.  On  approaching  within  exam- 
ining distance,  he  was  not  a  little  disappointed  to  find  his  ex- 
pected prizes  to  be  a  ship  of  the  line,  two  large  frigates,  and  a 
schooner  —  he  could  perceive  thai  they  were  making  signals  to 
each  other,  but  was  unable  to  discover  whether  they  were 
English  or  Spanish  ships.  As  the  Republic  and  Spain  were 
then  at  peace,  he  hoisted  Spanish  colors,  and  stood  in  for  the 
Havana  with  the  intention  —  if  the  ships  should  be  a  part  of 
the  English  convoy — of  letting  them  pass,  and  then  falling 
upon  the  rear  of  the  fleet.  He  had  scarcely  a  doubt  that  he  had 
seen  the  vanguard  of  the  Jamaica  convoy,  and  accordingly 
ran  into  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  with  his  three  ships  ;  but  he 
was  again  deceived  in  his  conjecture,  or  rather  puzzled  to  com- 
prehend the  movements  of  the  strangers,  for  the  ship  of  the 
line  and  the  two  frigates  followed  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbor, 
where  they  continued  for  the  greater  part  of  three  days  to  play 
off  and  on  without  showing  their  colors.  While  they  continued 
in  this  humor,  Commodore  Barney  deemed  it  advisable  to  en- 
ter the  port  with  his  division  and  come  to  anchor.  On  the  third 
day,  the  purpose  of  the  manoeuvre  being  accomplished,  the 
strange  ships  announced  themselves  to  the  Fort  as  belonging  to 
His  Catholic  Majesty, and  came  into  the  harbor.     It  seems,  they 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


199 


had  been  employed  to  bring  off  the  Spanish  Governor,  inhabi- 
tants, and  troops  from  the  city  of  St  Domingo,  upon  the  trans- 
fer of  the  Spanish  possessions  in  that  island  to  France  ;  upon 
discovering  Commodore  Barney's  squadron,  the  Spanish  com- 
mander suspected  them  at  once  to  be  French  ships,  and  imme- 
diately despatched  the  schooner  which  he  had  in  company,  to 
give  information  to  the  British  admiral  that  he  might  avoid  the 
danger  to  his  convoy.  The  Spaniard  had  so  far  mistaken  them, 
however,  as  to  represent  them  as  three  ships  of  the  line,  and  to 
this  mistake,  probably,  the  English  fleet  was  indebted  for  their 
ultimate  escape  j  for  it  induced  the  British  admiral  to  change 
his  usual  course  and  steer  for  Cape  Florida. 

Commodore  Barney  was  excessively  indignant,  when  he 
found  that  he  had  been  actually  blockaded  by  ships  of  Spain, 
(then  at  peace  with  the  Republic,)  for  the  space  of  three  days, 
and  that  they  had  been  guilty  of  the  further  unfriendliness  of 
aiding  and  assisting  the  enemy.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  speak 
of  the  conduct  of  the  Spanish  commander  as  treacherous,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  if  his  force  had  been  equal,  he  would  have 
made  the  attempt  to  punish  him,  without  waiting  for  the  orders 
of  the  Directory.  The  moment  he  perceived  the  perfidy 
which  had  been  practised  against  him,  he  weighed  anchor  with 
his  three  ships  and  stood  to  sea.  Ta'dng  it  for  granted  from  all 
he  had  heard,  that  the  English  convoy  had  passed,  and  were 
ahead  of  him,  he  traversed  the  Gulf  of  Florida  under  a  press 
of  sail  and  a  fine  wind,  but  caught  no  glimpse  of  even  a  strag- 
gling vessel  of  the  fleet.  Afterwards,  when  too  late  to  remedy 
his  mistake,  he  learned  to  his  infinite  chagrin  and  vexation,  that 
he  had  outstripped  the  object  of  his  pursuit,  and  instead  of  be- 
ing, as  he  supposed,  in  their  rear,  he  was  in  reality  several  days 
in  advance  of  the  fleet.  To  add  to  his  mortification,  the  crew 
of  the  transport  became  sickly  :  upwards  of  ninety  of  her 
men  were  at  one  time  on  the  sick  list,  and  a  serious  mortality 
began  to  prevail  among  them.  Under  these  circumstances  he 
determined  to  steer  for  the  Chesapeake,  leave  the  transport 
thereto  the  hospitality  of  his  countrymen,  and  then  return  to  the 
pursuit  of  the  English  convoy  with  his  two  frigates,  for  this  was 
an  enterprise  which  he  could  not  think  of  abandoning  while  a 
single  chance  remained,  and  he  resolved  to  follow  them  even  to 
the  Western  Isles. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  at  midnight,  they  discovered  the  Cape 
Henry  light  and  immediately  '  brought  to,'  with  the  wind  at 
southeast.     The  Commodore  possessed  one  of  the  characteris- 


200 


MEMOIR  OP 


tics  of  a  prudent  commander,  in  as  eminent  a  degree  as  Fabius 
himself,  however  he  might  have  differed  from  that  cautious 
genera]  in  many  other  distinguishing  qualities  —  his  vigilance,  in 
all  situations,  was  equal  to  his  boldness  and  intrepidity  :  he  nev- 
er permitted  himself  to  taste  repose,  night  or  day,  until  he  had 
satisfied  himself  of  the  safety  of  his  position  by  personal  ex- 
amination. He  had  a  night  glass  which  he  valued  very  highly 
on  account  of' its  superior  properties,  that  was  seldom  out  of 
his  hand  at  night,  while  he  walked  the  deck.  A  very  few 
minutes  after  he  had  determined  to  lie  to  off  Cape  Henry  light 
until  the  morning  would  enable  him  to  enter  the  Bay  with  safe- 
ty, he  discovered  by  the  aid  of  this  glass,  that  there  were  Jive 
ships  under  easy  sail,  between  him  and  the  cape.  He  could  not 
doubt,  from  their  appearance  and  manoeuvres,  that  they  were 
enemies,  and  he  therefore  hailed  his  two  other  ships,  and  gave 
them  orders  to  make  sail  and  stand  off  to  the  eastward  by  the 
wind  —  he  did  the  same  himself,  and  they  continued  their 
course  to  the  eastward  all  night.  At  daylight  the  next  morn- 
ing he  perceived  a  ship,  which  he  soon  made  out  to  be  a  fri- 
gate, standing  to  the  northwest  —  he  gave  chase  to  her  immedi- 
ately, and  was  coming  up  with  her  as  fast  as  a  light  wind  would 
enable  him,  when  her  signal  guns,  which  she  had  continued  to 
fire  all  the  morning,  were  answered,  and  at  nine  o'clock  he  dis- 
covered the  five  ships  he  had  seen  the  night  before,  coming  up 
with  a  fresh  wind  from  the  northwest,  and  gaining  upon  him 
every  moment.  The  chasers  now  in  turn  became  the  chased 
—  the  six  ships  of  the  enemy  were  soon  united,  and  continued 
a  vigorous  pursuit  all  day  :  the  unfortunate  transport,  which  had 
been  the  origin  of  all  his  disappointments  and  misfortunes  on 
this  ill  fated  cruise,  was  overtaken  by  the  van  of  the  enemy 
about  four  o'clock  ;  they  each  gave  her  a  broadside  and  com- 
pelled her  of  course  to  strike  her  colors.  Having  taken  pos- 
session of  their  prize,  the  enemy  continued  the  chase  after 
the  two  frigates,  which  they  kept  up  all  the  night  of  the  29th. 
On  the  30th  at  daylight,  there  was  but  one  frigate  near,  and 
another  vessel  just  discernible  from  the  mast-head  :  the  commo- 
dore, in  the  hope  of  bringing  on  a  battle  before  the  other  ships 
came  up,  made  signals  to  the  Railleuse  to  take  in  sail  and  wait 
for  the  enemy  ;  but  the  enemy,  perceiving  his  design,  and  not 
being  quite  so  eager  for  a  fight  as  to  run  any  risk*  in  seeking  it, 
instantly  altered  his  course,  and  hauled  by  the  wind.  In  a  few 
hours  afterwards,  the  vessel  which  had  been  seen  from  the 
mast-head  at  dawn,  was  discovered  to  be  a  ship  of  the  line  — 


COMMODORE     BARNEY.  201 

she  joined  the  frigate  before  noon,  and  the  chase  was  again  re- 
newed during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  In  the  evening  the 
Commodore  found  that  he  had  gained  some  advantage  of  his 
pursuers,  which  he  determined  to  improve  by  a  ruse  de  guerre  : 
with  this  view,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  he  ordered  a  tar-bar- 
rel to  be  set  on  fire  and  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  then  immedi- 
ately changed  his  course,  leaving  the  deceptive  light  to  float  about 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  winds  and  waves  ;  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  that  the  enemy  continued  to  chase  the  tar-barrel,  until 
they  came  near  enough  to  discover  the  trick,  by  which  time  it 
was  too  late  to  make  up  the  lost  distance.  On  the  morning 
of  the  31st  there  was  no  appearance  of  a  sail  visible,  and  the 
commodore  again  altered  the  course  of  his  two  frigates,  and 
steered  to  the  southward. 

He  had  now,  by  his  excellent  management  and  skilful  ma- 
noeuvring, escaped  one  superior  power  —  but  another  struggle 
awaited  him,  in  which  the  strength  and  skill  of  man  are  alike 
impotent.  —  On  the  1st  of  September  he  came  within  sight  of 
the  Island  of  Bermuda,  and  on  the  same  afternoon  spoke  an 
American  ship  from  Madeira  bound  to  the  United  States  —  the 
weather  was  uncommonly  fine  —  it  was  a  clear,  soft,  lovely  day  'r 
and  the  sea  was  so  beautifully  smooth  and  calm,  that  the  Amer- 
ican ship  continued  within  speaking  distance  long  enough  to  al- 
low the  commodore  an  opportunity  of  writing  by  her  to  his 
family  and  friends  in  Baltimore  ;  but  he  had  scarcely  sent  his 
letters  on  board  of  her,  before  the  breeze  began  to  freshen  and 
in  a  few  minutes  she  was  out  of  sight.  It  continued  to  blow 
all  night  with  increasing  severity ;  and  by  the  dawn  of  the  next 
morning,  the  gale  had  assumed  all  the  characteristic  fury  of  a 
tornado.  It  was  a  gratification  that  the  frigates  had  not  been 
separated  in  the  night  —  the  Railleuse  was  still  in  sight ;  bear- 
ing up  courageously  against  the  tempest ;  and  emulating  the  activ- 
ity and  nautical  skill  of  her  experienced  leader  !  —  but  they  were 
soon  deprived  of  the  consolation  of  being  together  :  the  storm 
grew  heavier  and  harder  ;  a  thick  darkness  covered  the  face 
of  the  heavens,  and  the  glittering  foam  of  the  lashed  and  wor- 
ried sea,  presented  the  only  visible  object.  Every  precaution, 
which  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  the  sudden  and  terrific  na- 
ture of  the  West  Indian  hurricanes  could  suggest,  had  been  taken 
early  on  the  previous  evening,  by  order  of  :he  Commodore,  on 
board  both  ships  —  all  the  light  yards  and  masts  had  been  struck, 
and  nothing  was  left  for  the  wind  to  exert  its  rage  upon  but  the  bare 
masts  and  bowsprits  —  under  these  the  Harmonic,  whose  consort 


2U2  MEMOIR  OF 

was  no  longer  in  sight,  now  continued  to  scud  before  wind  and 
sea,  but  rolling  and  plunging  heavily,  like  an  overloaded  horse 
that  seeks  to  lighten  his  burthen  by  trying  alternately  each  side 
of  the  road.  In  the  afternoon  about  four  o'clock,  a  sudden  sea 
gave  her  a  tremendous  blow  on  the  quarter,  which  threw  every 
body,  and  everything  moveable,  to  leeward  —  by  this  unfortu- 
nate stroke,  the  Commodore  himself  was  washed  under  one  of 
the  quarter-deck  guns,  from  which  he  was,  with  some  difficulty, 
extricated,  with  his  thighbone  fractured  !  He  would  not  per- 
mit himself  to  be  carried  from  the  deck,  however,  for  more 
than  half  an  hour  after  this  accident,  until  the  aggravated  pain  of 
the  fractured  limb  compelled  him  to  seek  relief.  He  was  but  a 
few  minutes  in  his  cabin,  in  the  hands  of  his  surgeon,  when  he 
heard  the  crash  of  all  the  masts  tumbling  over  the  sides  at  a 
single  blow  !  The  bowsprit  shared  a  similar  fate  while  he  was 
delivering  his  orders  to  have  everything  cut  away  from  the 
wreck  —  and  the  gallant  frigate  was  now  a  mere  rolling  log 
upon  the  water.  She  was  soon,  however,  cleared  from  the 
fallen  spars,  but  still  labored  heavily  —  the  commodore  order- 
ed the  quarter-deck  and  forecastle  guns  to  be  thrown  overboard  ; 
this  lightened  her  a  little,  but  the  sea  continued  to  break  over 
her  in  every  direction  ;  the  quarter  galleries,  and  part  of  the 
stern,  were  knocked  in  ;  and  the  wind  still  blew  with  unabated 
rage  —  but  the  ship  fortunately  preserved  her  tightness;  there 
was  no  leak,  and  hope  still  held  her  wonted  sway  in  the  breast 
of  the  dauntless  mariner.  This  state  of  things  continued  until 
three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  when  the  wind  died 
away  as  suddenly  as  it  had  sprung  into  life,  and  the  worn  and 
exhausted  seamen  began  to  anticipate  the  joys  of  rest ;  but  in 
less  than  half  an  hour,  the  capricious  iEolus,  as  if  his  former 
blasts  had  emptied  his  eastern  bag,  suddenly  opened  another 
from  the  west;  and  for  the  space  of  three  hours,  this  latter 
storm  equalled  in  force  and  violence  the  highest  fury  of  that  to 
which  it  so  closely  succeeded  —  the  ship,  already  a  sheer  hulk, 
suffered  still  more —  her  upper  works  were  broken  to  pieces  ; 
the  powder  and  bread  rooms  were  filled  with  water ;  everything 
on  board  shared  in  the  general  suffering;  besides  the  Commo- 
dore himself,  several  of  his  officers,  and  sixty  of  the  men,  were 
dreadfully  bruised  and  hurt.  About  daylight,  this  second  tem- 
pest spent  itself,  and  a  calm  of  somewhat  longer  duration  en- 
sued —  the  sun  rose  upon  a  sea  that  looked  as  if  it  had  never 
suffered  its  quiet  bosom  to  be  fretted,  so  serene,  so  unruffled, 
was  the  vast  expanse.    The  Commodore  had  himself  lifted  upon 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  203 

the  quarter-deck  —  but  the  sight  that  met  his  eyes,  was  more 
than  all  his  philosophy  could  bear  up  against ;  he  was  not  stoic 
enough  to  behold  the  desolation  without  an  emotion,  which  he 
neither  tried  nor  desired  to  control,  and  the  tears  chased  each 
other  down  his  sunburnt  and  hollowed  cheeks,  as  he  gazed  upon 
the  ruin  before  him.  A  few  hours  before,  La  Harmonic  had 
been  a  piece  of  beautiful  symmetry  —  a  new  and  elegant  frigate, 
well  fitted,  well  found,  superb  in  all  that  wins  the  admiration  of  a 
seaman,  lifting  her  proud  head  to  the  heavens  as  if  not  even  the 
King  of  storms  dared  to  touch  the  banner  of  the  Republic  I 
What  was  she  now?  —  A  wreck!  torn  to  pieces;  not  a  mast 
standing,  not  a  spar  to  be  seen  —  the  bruised  and  crippled  offi- 
cers and  men,  lying  here  and  there  upon  the  deck,  half  drowned 
in  the  puddles  —  every  man  on  board  still  dripping  with  the  wet 
of  the  ocean  which  had  so  copiously  flowed  over  him  —  not  a 
dry  thread  on  board  in  the  hulk — no  provisions  cooked  — 
scarcely  any,  indeed,  fit  to  be  cooked  ! 

Such  was  the  melancholy,  heart-sickening  prospect,  present- 
ed to  the  view  of  the  Commodore,  when,  exhausted  as  he  was 
from  pain,  fatigue,  and  anxiety,  he  ordered  a  couple  of  his  atten- 
dants to  carry  him  in  their  arms  upon  the  deck  !  We  cannot 
wonder  that  he  was  unable  to  suppress  the  feelings  that  swelled 
his  heart.  But  where  was  la  belle  Railleuse,  his  gallant  consort  ? 
No  trace  of  her  was  visible,  and  he  scarcely  admitted  a  hope 
that  he  should  ever  see  her  again.  A  few  moments  only  were 
yielded  to  these  sad  reflections  ;  he  soon  got  all  his  men  at  work, 
who  were  unhurt  by  the  storm,  and  in  a  little  while,  the  spare 
topmasts  and  other  spars  that  had  not  been  washed  overboard, 
were  rigged  up,  and  the  ship  could  once  more  spread  a  few 
small  sails  to  the  breeze. —  While  the  crew  were  engaged  in  this 
duty,  a  brig  came  down  upon  the  ship  in  a  style  which  induced 
the  Commodore  to  believe  her  an  enemy,  and  he  ordered  pre- 
parations made  to  receive  her  with  his  waist  guns,  the  only  ones 
that  could  be  used  !  But,  fortunately,  the  brig  proved  to  be  an 
American  from  Baltimore,  bound  to  the  West  Indies,  whose 
captain  kindly  offered  every  assistance  in  his  power  to  the 
wrecked  frigate  —  gave  her  a  fore-yard,  and  showed  the  most 
friendly  sympathy  for  the  Commodore  ;  but,  what  more  than  all 
gave  consolation  and  pleasure  to  the  latter,  the  Baltimorean  was 
enabled  to  give  him  intelligence  of  the  health  and  welfare  of  his 
family.  —  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  this  brig  had  experienced 
nothing  of  the  storm,  though  she  could  not  have  been  more  than 
twenty  leagues  distant  from  the  frigate  at  the  moment  of  its 
dreadful  havoc  upon  her. 


204  MEMOIR  OF 

In  the  course  of  three  or  four  days  after  the  tempest,  by  dint 
of  unremitted  labor,  and  the  exercise  of  those  inventive  faculties 
which  veteran  seamen  possess  in  so  great  a  degree,  they  were 
enabled  to  get  sufficient  canvas  upon  the  Harmonic  to  force 
her  along  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots  an  hour.  On  the 
12th  of  September,  while  steering  for  Turks  Island,  a  sail  was 
discovered  to  leeward,  which,  after  a  little  examination  with  his 
glass,  the  commodore  discovered  to  be  an  armed  ship,  and,  like 
his  own,  under  jury-masts  ;  he  immediately  prepared  for  action, 
and  bore  down  upon  her,  believing  himself  at  least  a  match  for 
any  other  cripple.  As  he  approached  the  supposed  enemy,  he 
perceived  that  she  was  making  signals  —  his  surprise  and  de- 
light may  be  imagined,  when  he  at  length  recognised  his  own 
frigate,  his  lost  Railleuse  !  Upon  coming  up  with,  and  speak- 
ing her,  it  was  found  that,  with  the  exception  of  her  not  havi  g 
lost  her  bowsprit,  the  Railleuse  had  suffered  equally  with  the 
Harmonic,  and  was  in  exactly  the  same  distressed  condition. 
The  two  ships,  once  more  reunited,  continued  together,  and  pas- 
sing Turks  Island  on  the  13th,  they  were  fortunate  enough  to 
escape  the  notice  of  a  division  of  the  enemy  which  lay,  that 
night,  about  four  leagues  to  windward ;  and  on  the  14th,  they 
arrived  safely  at  Cape  Francois. 

After  h's  arrival  at  the  Cape,  Commodore  Barney  suffered 
very  severely,  for  a  long  time,  from  the  effects  of  his  fractured 
thigh  ;  but  he  was  nevertheless  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to  the 
refitting  of  his  ships.  This  was  a  serious  and  difficult  under- 
taking at  the  Cape,  for  the  Colony  was  in  want  of  almost  every 
requisite  for  such  a  purpose ;  and  he  found  himself  under  the 
necessity  of  entirely  dismantling  two  large  transports  then  in 
the  harbor,  in  order  to  supply  even  decent  substitutes  for  the 
masts  and  spars  he  had  lost.  By  great  diligence  and  labor 
the  Railleuse  was  in  a  short  time  refitted,  and  despatched  to 
France,  at  the  request  of  the  Administration,  to  convey  the 
Deputies  to  the  Convention.  The  commodore  remained  be- 
hind in  command  of  the  naval  forces  of  the  Colony,  and,  in 
truth,  directing  and  administering  all  its  affairs.  While  he  re- 
mained here,  his  cutter  La  Vengeance,  which  had  been  cruis- 
ing by  his  orders,  off  Martinique,  arrived.  She  had  made  a 
number  of  prizes  since  he  had  last  heard  of  her,  and  among 
them  a  very  valuable  one  which  had  been  carried  into  St  Croix 
and  there  sold  for  one  hundred  and  five  thousand  dollars  :  — 
the  invoice  cost  of  the  cargo  had  been  seventy  thousand  pounds 
sterling;  !     We  mention  this  fact  to  show  how  prize   agents 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  205 

manage  their  concerns.  Here  was  an  evident  loss,  however, 
produced  to  the  captors,  of  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand  dollars.  The  commodore's  share  of  this  prize  amounted 
to  sixtyfive  thousand  dollars,  which  he  immediately  remitted  to 
his  friend  in  Baltimore ;  and  in  a  few  days  he  despatched  his 
active  and  fortunate  cutter  upon  another  cruise.  We  take 
occasion  here  to  advert  again  to  the  private  instructions  of 
Commodore  Barney  to  the  masters  of  his  private  cruisers,  and 
the  effect  of  them  upon  American  commerce.  —  The  maritime 
decrees  of  the  Republic  made  it  lawful  to  capture  all  Ameri- 
cans, bound  to  or  from  an  English  port,  and  the  Government 
Agents  at  the  Cape,  in  the  several  visits  of  La  Vengeance  to 
that  port,  had  given  positive  orders  to  her  commander  to  lose 
no  opportunity  of  enforcing  these  decrees ;  but  this  officer 
regarded  the  private  orders  of  his  owner  and  employer  as  of 
paramount  obligation,  particularly  as  there  was  a  penalty  an- 
nexed to  the  slightest  breach  of  them,  which  he  knew  would 
be  rigidly  enforced — the  loss  of  his  command  and  the  dis- 
mantling of  his  favorite  cutter.  In  the  course  of  his  cruise, 
he  boarded  twentynine  American  vessels,  all  from  Jamaica,  aud 
all  lawful  prizes  to  other  French  cruisers,  the  aggregate  value 
of  which  was  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  !  he 
dismissed  them  all  with  a  '  bon  voyage  !  '  and  they  carried 
their  treasure  home  unmolested.  The  commodore's  share  of 
this  property,  had  it  been  captured,  would  have  amounted  to 
nearly  half  a  million  of  dollars !  And  yet  he  has  been  ac- 
cused of  not  loving,  not  respecting,  his  country  !  We  leave  it 
to  the  reader  to  judge  how  far  he  merited  such  a  crimination; 
but  we  shall  have  occasion  to  bring  it  more  particularly  to  his 
attention,  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

While  the  commodore  remained  at  Cape  Francois,  he  took 
it  into  his  head  to  become  a  sugar  planter,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  great  profit  might  be  made  by  it,  and  accordingly 
rented  from  the  government  the  two  plantations,  called  Dt 
Menore  and  Carre,  situated  on  the  plains.  These  plantations 
were  both  in  a  state  of  complete  dilapidation,  not  having  been 
attended  to  or  cultivated  for  several  years,  and  he  was  under 
the  necessity  of  expending  a  considerable  sum  to  put  them  in 
proper  order  for  cultivation  — he  repaired  the  buildings,  pur- 
chased stocks  of  mules  and  oxen,  employed  overseers,  and 
commenced  the  business  of  making  sugar.  The  plantations 
were  considered  among  the  best  on  the  Island,  and  while  the 
novelty  lasted,,  and  he  attended  himself  to  the  management, 
18 


206 


MEMOIR  OF 


the  business  was  a  profitable  one  ;  but  he  soon  left  them  in  the 
hands  of  an  agent,  and  never  afterwards  had  any  satisfactory 
account  of  their  product. 

At  the  period  we  now  speak  of,  the  black  population  had 
complete  ascendency  in  the  Island,  and  the  whites  never  ven- 
tured beyond  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Cape,  except  un- 
der the  protection  of  a  guard  of  negro  soldiers.  In  his  frequent 
visits  to  his  sugar  plantations,  before  his  interest  in  them  be- 
came absorbed  in  more  important  matters,  Commodore  Barney 
always  applied  to  Christophe  then  a  colonel  of  the  black  guards 
[We  beg  the  reader  to  believe  that  we  had  not  the  slightest 
intention  to  repeat  a  stale  pun — ]  for  an  escort;  and  the  co- 
lonel—  who  was  upon  the  most  friendly  terms  with  the  Com- 
modore—  not  only  supplied  it  with  readiness,  but  often  him- 
self accompanied  his  bon  ami  with  his  own  body  guard.  On 
these  occasions,  he  would  sometimes  remain  two  or  three  days 
with  the  Commodore,  on  one  or  other  of  his  plantations,  or  in 
excursions  with  him  into  the  interior  of  the  Island,  where  his 
authority  was  supreme.  At  the  approach  of  Christophe,  the 
best  of  everything  was  invariably  produced,  and  it  was  no  small 
gratification  to  travel  through  the  Island  in  his  company.  No 
man  was  ever  more  reverenced  than  Christophe  —  but  it  was 
the  reverence  of  fear,  for  within  the  extent  of  his  command, 
the  tyranny  he  exercised  was  as  despotic  as  that  of  Mahomet 
himself.  He  was  a  fine  looking  fellow,  of  noble  stature,  gen- 
tlemanly and  dignified  in  his  address  and  manners  —  cruel 
and  vindictive  in  his  resentments,  but  firm  and  faithful  in  his 
friendships.  His  wife  was  as  black  and  as  portly  as  the  Hot- 
tentot Venus,  but  stately  and  ladylike  in  her  demeanor.  They 
entertained  their  guests  with  as  much  ease  and  grace,  as  if  they 
had  been  bred  in  the  court  of  Versailles. 

The  Commodore,  of  necessity,  became  acquainted  with 
several  other  of  the  black  chiefs,  during  his  residence  at  the 
Cape,  whose  names  fill  a  large  space  in  the  history  of  that  un- 
fortunate Island  —  General  Pierre  Michael,  he  found  to  be  an 
honest,  upright  officer  in  all  his  dealings. — The  celebrated 
Toussant  LSOuverture  was  at  that  period  commander  in  chief 
of  the  blacks  in  the  Cape  District :  he  was  decrepit  in  body, 
capricious  in  disposition,  and  wantonly  tyrannical  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  authority.  —  Raimond,  one  of  the  Government 
Agents,  or  Administrateurs,  wTas  a  good  looking  mulatto,  pos- 
sessing much  intelligence  and  shrewdness  —  but  he  was  treach- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  207 

erous  and  unfaithful  alike  to  friend  and  foe  :  he  lived  in  great 
style  in  a  splendid  mansion  fronting  the  Champ  de  Mars. 

But  the  Commodore's  chief  companion  and  friend,  was  Son- 
thonaXy  the  principal  Administrator  —  he  was  a  native  of 
France,  and  had  been  employed  by  the  government  for  many 
years  in  the  affairs  of  St  Domingo  :  he  was  at  the  Cape  at  the 
time  of  the  insurrection  and  burning  we  have  before  noticed  ; 
he  went  afterwards  to  France,  whence  he  had  been  lately  sent 
back  in  the  capacity  of  Administrator.  He  was  a  man  oi  pow- 
erful intellect,  full  of  artifice  and  cunning,  and  a  great  intriguer  ; 
but  he  was  sincere  in  his  attachments,  and  remained,  under 
every  vicissitude,  the  warm  and  active  friend  of  Barney.  He 
lived  in  splendor  at  the  Cape,  having  a  perfect  palace,  opening 
upon  the  Grand  Square,  and  a  company  of  elegantly  equipped 
black  troops  always  on  guard  about  him.  The  entrance  to  his 
private  apartments,  was  at  the  end  of  a  long  gallery,  the  win- 
dows of  which  opened  upon  a  luxuriant  grove  of  orange  trees 
whose  delightful  odor  perfumed  the  whole  suite  of  rooms  ap- 
propriated to  his  use —  fountains  of  pure  water  gushed  forth  at 
intervals,  and  cooled  the  air  (in  imagination  at  least)  as  it  bub- 
bled along  in  limpid  streams  through  the  grove.  In  his  dining 
apartment  this  voluptuous  servant  of  the  Republic  had  an  in- 
genious contrivance  by  which  a  large  fan,  exquisitely  beautiful 
in  its  form  and  materials,  continually  agitated  the  air  over  the 
table,  while  on  each  side,  marble  fountains  poured  forth  their 
gurgling  sounds,  during  the  repast.  —  The  regal  magnificence 
of  everything  about  this  establishment  —  the  body-guard  —  the 
difficulty  of  approach  to  the  person  of  Sonthonax  —  the  haughti- 
ness of  his  demeanor  to  the  canaille  —  furnish  a  beautiful 
comment  upon  the  two  words  which  headed  all  his  official  acts 
—  Liberte,  Egalite ! 

The  friendly  and  intimate  footing  upon  which  the  Commo- 
dore was  admitted  at  all  'hours  to  the  privacy  of  Sonthonax, 
created  great  jealousies  not  only  among  the  subordinates  of  the 
Administrator,  but  among  his  colleagues  in  the  Commission, 
most  of  whom  soon  conceived  a  dislike  to  the  Commodore, 
which  showed  itself  on  many  occasions,  and  in  one  instance  led 
to  consequences  that  might  have  proved  fatal.  —  A  certain 
Chef  de  Bureau,  by  the  name  of  Pascal,  was  wrought  upon  by 
his  colleagues  to  ascribe  to  the  influence  of  Barney,  various 
slights  which  he  fancied  he  had  received  from  Sonthonax ;  and 
as  the  Commodore  was  one  day  entering  the  apartments  of  the 
Administrator,  to  see  him,  by  appointment,  on  business  of  the 


208  MEMOIR  OF 

Colony,  this  Pascal  placed  himself  in  the  door-way,  and  in  an 
insolent  and  peremptory  tone  forbade  his  entering; — the  Com- 
modore looked  at  him  with  a  smile  of  contempt,  and  would 
have  passed  him  without  other  notice,  but  Pascal  seized  upon 
him,  and  endeavored  to  put  him  out  by  force :  it  became 
necessary  then  to  repel  the  insult,  and  Barney  giving  him  two 
or  three  blows  with  his  fist  which  sent  him  reeling  to  the  oppo- 
site wall,  walked  quietly  in  to  keep  his  appointment.  He  heard 
nothing  more  of  the  affair  until  fifteen  days  afterwards^  when 
he  received  from  Pascal  an  invitation  to  give  him  satisfaction  ! 
They  met  and  exchanged  two  pistol  shots  without  effect,  when 
a  guard  of  soldiers  advanced  and  arrested  the  further  progress 
of  the  affair.  He  learned  some  time  afterwards,  that  the  guard 
had  been  stationed  near  the  spot  by  the  orders  of  some  of  Pas- 
cal's friends,  with  directions  to  arrest  them  both  if  their  shots 
did  not  take  effect,  and  if  Pascal  should  fall  to  shool  Barney 
on  the  spot.  Thus,  it  seems,  his  life  was  saved,  not,  as  in  or- 
dinary cases  of  duelling,  by  hitting  his  adversary,  but  by  missing 
him  !  when  Sonthonax  was  informed  of  the  affair,  he  gave 
Pascal  a  severe  reprimand,  and  the  Commodore  was  more  than 
ever  taken  into  his  confidence. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1796, 
the  Island  was  in  a  state  of  general  and  deep  distress  for  the 
want  of  provisions  of  every  kind  —  there  was  no  money  in  the 
treasury,  and  the  government  agents  were  driven  to  the  last  ex- 
tremity of  perplexity  and  despair.  In  their  difficulties,  they 
appealed  to  the  philanthropy  of  the  Commodore  to  assist  them 
with  his  means  and  his  influence  ;  and  proposed  to  him  to  visit 
the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  endeavoring  to  procure 
supplies  from  thence  for  the  suffering  colony  :  they  offered  him 
two  frigates  for  the  expedition,  and  as  a  further  inducement  to 
exert  his  interest  to  the  utmost  in  their  behalf,  they  declared 
their  willingness  to  enter  into  a  contract  with  him,  upon  such 
terms  as  w7ould  insure  him  an  ample  remuneration  for  his  trou- 
ble. It  certainly  did  not  require  a  great  deal  of  solicitation  to 
persuade  the  Commodore  to  visit  the  United  States,  as  he  had 
not  seen  his  family  for  more  than  two  years,  and  wanted  no 
stronger  inducement  than  his  own  feelings  to  seize  so  favorable 
an  opportunity.  He  readily  acceded,  therefore,  to  the  proposi- 
tion of  the  agents,  and  entered  into  contract  to  supply  them 
with  a  certain  quantity  of  provisions,  monthly,  for  the  space  of 
ten  months  —  having  done  this,  he  lost  no  time  in  preparing 
for  his  departure.     It  was  found  impracticable  to  have  his  own 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  209 

frigate,  La  Harmonic,  refitted  in  time  for  his  purposes,  and  he 
consented  to  sail  with  the  Medusa  and  Insurgentc  —  the  lat- 
ter of  which  was  the  frigate,  captured  in  1799  by  Commodore 
Truxton  in  the  Constellation,  and  afterwards  fitted  out  under 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  for  a  cruise,  from  which  she  never 
returned,  or  was  heard  of.  He  appointed  a  young  gentle- 
man of  Baltimore,  in  whom  he  had  great  confidence,  as  his 
agent  for  the  management  of  his  private  affairs  in  his  absence, 
and  left  the  Cape  in  the  beginning  of  December,  1796  :  —  on 
the  19th  of  the  same  month,  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  ar- 
rive safely  at  Norfolk,  in  Virginia.  —  We  say  he  was  fortunate 
enough  —  for  both  his  frigates  were  in  a  condition  so  totally 
unfit  for  sea,  that  nothing  could  have  justified  the  risk  he  in- 
curred, but  the  distressed  situation  of  the  colony,  and  the  ut- 
ter impossibility  of  obtaining  at  Cape  Francois  the  requisite 
materials  for  a  better  equipment.  The  Medusa  was  an  old 
ship,  and  so  leaky  that  her  pumps  were  kept  at  work  night 
and  day  during  the  passage  —  she  required  a  thorough  over- 
hauling :  the  lnsurgente  was  a  sounder  vessel,  but  she  had  been 
long  lying  at  the  Cape,  and  wanted  various  important  repairs. 
Besides  this  unseaworthy  condition  of  the  ships,  he  was  obliged 
to  regulate  his  supply  of  provision  by  the  very  limited  stores  of 
ihe  colony,  and  actually  left  the  Cape  with  not  more  than  three 
weeks'  provision  on  board  — so  that,  if  his  enemy  had  been  in 
force  off  the  Chesapeake,  as  was  the  case  but  a  very  short  time 
afterwards,  or  any  other  incident  had  occurred  to  prevent  his 
getting  into  port  at  the  moment  he  did,  he  must  have  been  driven 
to  the  most  serious  straits  :  his  safe  arrival,  under  such  circum- 
stances, may  well  therefore  be  regarded  as  an  instance  of  great 
good  fortune.  He  remained  at  Norfolk  no  longer  than  was 
necessary  to  give  the  proper  orders  for  the  repair  of  his  ships, 
and  proceeded  to  Baltimore. 

The  meeting  with  his  family  after  so  long  an  absence,  was 
truly  a  happy  one ;  but  we  shall  not  spoil  the  reader's  concep- 
tion of  the  scene,  by  any  attempt  to  depict  the  joy  and  glad- 
ness that  spoke  from  the  lips  and  shone  in  the  eyes  of  every 
individual.  It  is  enough  to  say,  that  he  found  them  all  in 
good  health,  and  with  but  one  cause  of  unhappiness  in  the 
world  — his  absence  from  them,  and  his  having  again  exposed 
himself  to  the  hazards  of  war.  The  Commodore  had  made 
ample  provision  for  the  education  of  his  children  and  the  hand- 
some support  of  his  household,  and  few  families  in  Baltimore 
lived  in  greater  comfort  or  elegance  ;  but  they  would  willingly 
18* 


210       g  MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 

have  given  up  all  the  splendor  and  luxuries  with  which  his  lib- 
eral allowances  had  surrounded  them,  to  have  had  the  enjoy- 
ment of  his  society  in  however  humble  a  home.  Many  were 
the  entreaties  and  tears  he  was  compelled  to  steel  himself 
against  on  this  subject.  — *  His  honor  was  engaged  to  the  French 
Republic,  and  he  could  listen  to  nothing  thatt  proposed  a  forfeit 
of  the  pledge. 


CHAPTER  XV, 

Rapidity  of  the  Commodore's  movements* —  He  enters  into  sub-contracts  With 
several  Baltimore  houses  of*  the  first  standing  :  — sees  several  vessels  des- 
patched with  provisions,  under  his  Passports.  —  Difficulties  of  ihe  French 
Minister  Adct  :  —  B.  is  persuaded  to  advance  large  sums  for  his  relief — ■ 
and  takes  the  Consul  General's  Bills  on  the  treasury  at  Paris.  —  He  returns  to 
JN'orfolk.  —  Recall  of  his  friend  Sonthonax  :  —  fears  excited  as  to  the  issue  of 
his  contracts*  —  Bad  faith  of  the  Baltimore  Houses.  ■»-  He  makes  additional 
contracts  in  Norfolk. —  Delay  in  the  repairs  of  his  ships.  —  Arrival  of  an 
English  squadron  in  Hampton  Roads.  —  He  sends  a  gallant  challenge  to  the 
British  Admiral,  which  is  declined.  —  He  succeeds  in  getting  to  sea  :  ■*-  his 
whole  passage  to  the  West  Indies  beset  with  enemies  ;  —  the  great  skill  and 
ingenuity  with  which  he  eludes  them  :  —  skirmish  with  a  ship  of  the  line  and 
frigate.  —  He  gets  safely  into  Port  de  Paix  :  — <  leaves  his  ships  there,  and 
proceeds  in  a  small  schooner  to  the  Cape:  —  long  illness  after  his  arrival, 
the  consequence  of  his  great  fatigue  and  watchfulness  :  —  kind  attentions  of 
the  black  generals.  —  His  frigates  ordered  to  France*  —  Arrival  of  the  new 
administrateurs  :  —  his  difficulties  with  them  in  settling  his  contract —  He 
sails  for  France  in  a  small  Pilot  boat,  with  a  cargo  of  coffee: — takes  a 
French  general  and  his  aid,  as  passengers  :  —  their  supply  of  water  fails  ;  — 
a  dilemma  :  —  humorous  rencounter  with  a  Portuguese  trader  :  —  arrival  at 
Corunna,  in  Spain.  —  He  orders  the  schooner  to  Bordeaux  and  travels  by 
land  —  disagreeable  journey  to  Bayonne.  —  His  schooner  arrives  safe  at  Bor- 
deaux :  —  he  makes  a  fortunate  salg  of  his  coffee  —  purchases  a  travelling 
carriage,  and  arrives  at  Paris.  —  Interview  with  his  Banker  —  great  amount 
of  his  advances  —  no  receipts  from  the  treasury.  -*-  Difficulty  of  procuring 
a  settlement  with  the  Directory  : —  great  prevalence  of  bribery  and  corrup- 
tion :  —  high  command  offered  to  quiet  him.  —  Return  of  Bonaparte  from 
Egypt — revolution  of  the  9th  November —  Consular  government.  —  Vexa- 
tions of  the  Commodore  ;  —  villainy  of  his  prize  agents  and  partners.  — 
Unexpected  suit  against  him  by  the  Bordeaux  purchasers  of  his  St  Domingo 
claim  :  —  heavy  judgment  obtained  against  him,  through  the  corruption  of  the 
courts.  — ■■  He  is  presented  to  the  first  Consul  :  —  asks  permission  to  resign, 
which  is  refused  in  a  flattering  manner  :  —  becomes  a  regular  visiter  at  the 
Palace  —  attends  Josephine's  soirees  —  is  politely  treated  by  Napoleon  —  but 
gets  no  satisfactory  answers  to  his  demands  for  money. —  Letter  from  La  Fay- 
ette —  his  opinion  of  the  people  —  and  prediction  of  the  result  of  the  rev- 
olution. —  He  renews  his  application  for  permission  to  resign  :  —  receives  a 
complimentary  letter  from  the  minister  of  marine  -—  has  a  pension  assigned 
him,  which  he  does  not  accept  —  leaves  his  business  in  the  hands  of  a  friend 
■ —  and  embarks  for  the  United  States. 

The  promptness  and  celerity  of  action  which  we  have  had  so 

many  occasions  to  notice  in  the  life  of   Commodore 

1797     Barney,  were  eminently  displayed  in  the  conduct  of  the 

enterprise  that  now  brought  him  to  Baltimore.     It  has 

been  seen,  that  he  arrived  at  Norfolk,  on  the  19th  of  December, 


212 


MEMOIR  OF 


1796,  and  that  he  must  necessarily  have  been  detained  there 
for  at  least  a  day  or  two  in  providing  for  the  repair  and  supply 
of  his  ships,  and  therefore  could  not  have  reached  Baltimore 
before  the  24th  or  25th,  at  soonest  —  for  it  must  be  remem- 
ber, that  there  were  then  no  steam-boats  nor  rail-roads,  and 
that  travelling  was  neither  so  easy  nor  expeditious  as  at  the 
present  day —  and  yet,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1797,  he  had 
executed  contracts  with  several  of  the  most  respectable  com- 
mercial houses  in  the  city,  to  furnish  all  the  articles,  which  his 
own  contract  with  the  government  agents  of  St  Domingo  oblig- 
ed him  to  deliver  !  he  knew  that  the  distresses  of  the  colony 
were  too  urgent  to  admit  of  delay,  and  he  wasted  no  time  in  the 
diplomacy  of  negotiation  ;  but  coming  at  once  to  the  point,  he 
endeavored  to  infuse  a  portion  of  his  own  strait-forward  earnest- 
ness and  vigor  of  movement  into  the  firms  with  which  he 
bargained,  and  was  so  successful,  that  in  a  few  days  several 
vessels  were  despatched  loaded  with  the  necessaries  of  life  for 
the  suffering  inhabitants  of  Cape  Francois.  All  these  vessels, 
in  addition  to  their  regular  documents,  carried  a  passport  under 
the  sign  manual  of  the  '  Chefde  Division  des  Armies  JSavales'  of 
the  French  republic  :  this  precaution  was  absolutely  indispensa- 
ble ;  for  such  was  the  indiscriminate  and  lawless  eagerness 
with  which  the  greater  part  of  the  French  cruisers,  at  this  mo- 
ment, preyed  upon  American  commerce,  that  they  would  as 
soon  have  robbed  a  vessel  carrying  the  means  of  life  to  their 
own  starving  countrymen,  as  if  she  were  loaded  with  munitions 
of  war  for  their  enemy,  unless  protected  by  something  more 
than  custom-house  papers.  These  first  vessels,  however, 
with  all  the  exertions  that  could  be  used,  were  for  a  long  time 
the  only  ones  that  could  be  sent  off,  for  the  river  was  very  soon 
after  blocked  up  with  ice. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival  at  Baltimore,  the  Commodore 
had  addressed  a  letter  to  M.  Latombe,  the  French  consul  gen- 
eral at  Philadelphia  giving  him  information  of  the  state  of  his 
two  frigates  at  Norfolk,  and  of  the  wants  of  his  crews  who  had 
neither  provision  nor  clothing.  Instead,  however,  of  an  ex- 
pected remittance  from  the  consul  general  in  reply  to  his  offi- 
cial call  upon  him,  he  received  a  letter  from  the  minister,  citizen 
Adet,  requesting  to  see  him  as  soon  as  possible  at  Philadelphia. 
He  did  not  feel  himself  at  liberty  to  disobey  the  invitation  of  he 
minister,  and  therefore  set  out  at  once  for  the  seat  of  government. 
To  his  great  astonishment  when  he  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  he 
found  that  citizen  Adet  had  been  recalled,  and  that  neither  he 


COMMODORE  BARNEr. 


213 


nor  the  consul  general,  bad  a  single  dollar,  public  or  private 
property, — 'that  the  minister  was  over  head  and  ears  in  debt — 
and  that  this  interview  had  been  solicited  with  him  for  the  purpose 
of  appealing  to  his  generosity  and  friendship  to  relieve  them 
both  from  their  embarrassed  situation  !  He  began  to  think,  not 
without  some  reason,  that  his  fraternity  with  the  French  republic 
was  like  to  be  a  heavy  burthen  upon  his  shoulders  —  he  told 
these  gentlemen,  that  he  was  already  engaged  to  the  extent  of 
his  resources  to  relieve  the  colony  of  St  Domingo  from  the 
most  serious  distresses  —  that  the  agents  there  depended  solely 
upon  him  for  supplies  —  but  that  with  the  best  disposition  in 
the  world  to  serve  the  republic,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  '  do 
everything  !'  —  AH  attempt,  however,  to  resist  the  importunities 
of  two  such  high  functionaries  of  the  republic,  proved  of  no 
avail ;  they  were  prepared  to  answer  all  his  objections,  and  in 
the  end  prevailed  upon  him,  not  only  to  make  all  the  advances 
that  his  own  demands  for  the  service  of  the  frigate  might  re- 
quire, but  to  give  an  immediate  draft  upon  his  banker  at  Paris 
for  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  which  the  minister  need- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  debts  and  enabling  him  to 
leave  the  country.  As  an  indemnity  for  these  advances,  the 
consul  general  gave  his  official  bills  upon  the  treasury  at  Parisy 
which  he  assured  the  Commodore,  notwithstanding  he  had  been 
unable  to  find  any  body  at  Philadelphia  willing  to  take  them, 
would  be  duly  honored,  and  paid  upon  presentation  ;  he  had 
therefore  only  to  remit  these  bills  to  his  Paris  banker,  that  they 
might  be  received  simultaneously  with  the  drafts,  and  the  ne- 
gotiation would  be  effected  without  trenching  upon  his  private  re- 
resources.  Such  were  the  specious  arguments  of  the  consul 
general. 

Having  thus  involved  himself  to  a  very  considerable  amount, 
for  the  relief  of  these  officers  of  the  republic,  he  returned  im- 
mediately to  Baltimore;  and  on  the  first  opening  of  the  naviga- 
tion, in  March,  proceeded  to  Norfolk,  where  he  found  his  ships 
still  under  the  hands  of  the  mechanics.  It  was  with  no  small 
regret,  that  he  received  at  this  moment,  a  letter  from  his 
friend  Sonthonax,  giving  him  the  information  of  his  recall  to 
France,  and  leaving  it  but  too  plainly  to  be  inferred,  that  he  was 
in  disgrace  with  the  Directory.*     Whatever  might  be  the  real 

*  '  Au  Citoyen  Barney,  chef  de  Division  des  Armees  Navalos  de  la  Re- 
publique  Franchise,  a   Norfolk. 

'  Au  Cap  Frajvcots,  le  7  Fruct.idor,  Aisr.  5. 

1  Recevez  mes  adieux,  mon  cher  Barney,  jusqu'a  ce  que  des  circonstances 
heureuses  puissent  nous  reunir,  L'Epouse  du  citoyen  Odelon,  capitaine  de 
fregate,  vous  instruira  des  evenements  qui  ont  amenees  et  determine  mon  de- 


214 


MEMOIR   OP 


character  of  tins  man,  his  conduct  towards  Barney,  during 
many  years  of  close  intimacy,  had  been  invariably  governed  by 
the  most  honorable  principles.  His  administration  of  affairs  at 
the  Cape,  had  certainly  been  more  prosperous  than  that  of  most 
of  the  commissioners  who  had  been  entrusted  with  it,  and  it 
was  entirely  owing  to  his  influence  and  exertions  that  the  col- 
ony was  not,  at  the  moment  of  his  recall,  in  a  state  of  starva- 
tion. He  seemed  to  speak  with  great  confidence  of  his  own  in- 
nocence of  the  accusations,  whatever  they  were,  against  him, 
but  expressed  no  reliance  on  the  justice  of  those  before  whom 
he  was  called  to  answer.  The  recall  of  this  officer,  at  the  pre- 
sent period  more  especially,  was  a  subject  of  very  deep  regret 
to  the  Commodore — he  had  much  reason  to  fear  that  his  suc- 
cessors in  the  agency  might  not  be  as  honest  ;  but  he  had  no 
apprehension  of  ultimate  loss  from  his  contracts,  because  he  be- 
lieved, whoever  might  be  the  administrators,  they  would  find  it 
impossible  to  get  along  without  his  assistance.  —  Coming  to  this 
conclusion,  he  neither  withheld  his  advances  ol  money,  nor  re- 
mitted his  exertions  to  fulfil  his  contract  —  on  the  contrary,  he 
entered  into  additional  agreements  with  several  individuals  of 
Norfolk3  and  despatched  several  vessels  from  that  port  with  sup- 
plies for  the  Cape.  To  his  great  chagrin  and  disappointment, 
however,  he  found  that  the  houses  with  which  he  had  made  his 
first  contracts  in  Baltimore,  seemed  to  hang  back  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  engagements  ;  this  was  an  alarming  circumstance 
to  him,  and  he  wrote  several  pressing  letters,  urging  in  the 
strongest  terms  the  prosecution  of  their  shipments,  to  all  which 
he  received  the  most  unsatisfactory  replies.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, he  redoubled  his  efforts  to  procure  at  Norfolk  what 
was  wanted  to  prevent  the  forfeit  of  his  own  contract,  and  push- 
ed forward  the  repairs  of  the  frigates  with  all  the  expedition  it 
was  in  his  power  to  command.  The  expenditures  for  this  latter 
object,  even  with  the  strictest  regard  to  economy,  amounted  to 
an  enormous  sum  !  for  he  had  been  obliged  to  provide  new  sails, 
new  cables,  and  almost  new  bottoms,  for  both  ships  ;  besides 
wThich,    their  officers    and    crews   required    some  advance  of 

part.  Prodigue  de  sacrifices  je  les  ai  tous  faits  pour  le  maintien  de  l'ordre 
publique.  Je  laisse  apres  moi  des  preuves  materielles,  et  pour  ainsi  dire 
vivantes,  de  l'amelioration  de  la  colonie,  progres  des  cultures,  confiance  de 
commune,  reedification  de  la  ville  du  Cap,  des  magazins  approvisionnes  pour 
six  mois  ;  voila  tout  ce  queje  laisse,  etDieu  merci,  n'importe  qu'une  con- 
science pure,  et  l'estime  de  moi  meme.  Adieu,  mon  cher  Barney  !  Je  compte 
sur  la  continuation  de  votre  attacehment  comm  e  vous  pouvez  compter  sur  ma 
sincere  amitie.  Soxthonax.' 


COMMODORE  BARNEV.  215 

wages,  and  he  had  to  lay  in  a  store  of  provisions  equal  to  the 
supply  of  seven  hundred  men  for  four  months.  The  comple- 
tion of  this  work  was  delayed  for  a  considerable  time,  by  the 
neglect  of  those  who  were  charged  with  the  duty  of  forward- 
ing certain  naval  stores,  belonging  to  the  republic,  which  had 
been  ordered  around  from  New  York  in  small  vessels  ;  and  it  was 
not  until  late  in  the  month  of  July  that  he  was  finally  ready  to 
leave  the  waters  of  the  United  States. 

At  this  moment,  there  lay  in  Hampton  Roads  an  English 
squadron,  consisting  of  one  ship  of  the  line,  one  fifty-gun  ship, 
four  frigates,  and  a  sloop  of  war  ;  the  greater  part  of  these  ves- 
sels had  come  into  the  Bay  three  or  four  months  before,  evi- 
dently with  the  design  of  waiting  until  the  two  French  ships 
should  be  ready  to  proceed  to  sea.  If  any  body  of  the  present 
day,  should  deem  it  an  extraordinary  thing,  that  the  bays  and 
roads  of  a  neutral  country,  should  thus  be  used  by  one  belligerent 
for  the  annoyance  of  another,  we  have  only  to  refer  him  to  the 
public  gazettes  oithat  day,  for  example  upon  example  of  infinite- 
ly greater  outrages  daily  committed,  by  both  belligerents,  against 
the  national  dignity,  honest  neutrality,  and  peaceable  disposition, 
of  the  United  States,  all  of  which  were  quietly  submitted  to  by 
the  latter,  for  the  sake  of  the  very  profitable  carrying  trade, 
which  their  merchants  then  enjoyed  !  National  honor  is  not 
always  held  in  higher  estimation  than  national  profit  ;  and  in  a 
country  which  derives  its  revenue  entirely  from  commerce,  we  are 
not  to  be  surprised,  if  merchants  have  a  larger  share  of  influence 
with  the  government  than  any  other  class  of  its  citizens.  — The 
Commodore  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  movements  of  this 
hostile  squadron,  so  long  as  his  equipment  was  in  the  progress 
of  execution  ;  he  knew  they  were  waiting  for  him,  but  that 
consideration  neither  hurried  nor  retarded  a  single  measure  of 
preparation.  But  the  moment  he  was  ready  to  put  to  sea,  he 
called  upon  his  friend,  the  Honorable  Cornel  Parker,  then  a 
member  of  Congress  from  that  district  of  Virginia,  ano1  request- 
ed that  he  would  undertake,  through  the  medium  of  the  English 
Consul  at  Norfolk,  to  procure  a  message  to  be  sent  to  the  Brit- 
ish admiral  in  Hampton  Roads,  the  purport  of  which  was  — 
'  that  he  (Barney)  would  immediately  go  to  sea  with  any  two 
of  the  English  frigates,  provided  the  admiral  would  pledge 
his  word  of  honor  that  he  would  permit  none  of  his  other  ves- 
sels to  interfere,  pending  the  proposed  trial  of  prowess.'  — 
This  gallant  challenge  was  faithfully  delivered  to  the  British 
admiral,  but  that  officer  haughtily  declined  the  partie  carree,  no 


216 


MEMOIR  OF 


doubt  from  a  conscientious  sense  of  duty,  rather  than  from  any- 
unworthy  motive  of  apprehension  for  the  issue,  or  contempt 
for  the  challenger. 

Upon  hearing  that  his  invitation  was  not  accepted,  some 
time  in  August,  the  commodore  dropped  down  the  Elizabeth 
River  with  his  two  ships ;  his  enemy  at  the  same  moment 
moved  further  out  into  the  bay  ;  —  as  the  former  came  into 
Hampton  Roads,  the  latter  took  up  a  position  in  Lynnhaven 
Bay  ;  and  thus  as  the  French  ships  continued  to  approach  the 
Capes,  their  English  adversaries  gradually  retired  before  them, 
that  they  might  hold  them  in  view,  until  they  should  overpass  the 
maritime  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  It  is  some  matter 
of  marvel,  that  even  so  much  respect  was  paid  to  the  neutral 
nation  —  but,  '  nous  avons  change  tout  cela  ! '  and  we  dare  be- 
lieve, that  similar  insults  will  never  again  be  offered  to  the  Uni- 
ted States.  — The  Commodore  at  length  approached  Cape 
Henry  light-house  and  let  go  his  anchors,  the  hostile  ships  be- 
ing then  playing  about  under  easy  sail  in  the  offing  :  towards 
evening  he  sent  forward  his  pilot  boat  as  if  to  marshal  him 
the  way  out,  but  the  moment  darkness  come  on,  he  weighed 
anchor  again,  and  returned  some  distance  up  the  bay,  where  he 
remained  at  anchor  for  the  night.  By  this  masterly  stratagem 
his  adversaries  were^completely  deceived  ;  — for,  on  the  follow- 
ing morning,  after  standing  close  into  the  Capes  so  as  to  reconnoi- 
tre, and  not  perceiving  his  ships  in  the  position  they  had  oc- 
cupied on  the  previous  evening,  they  very  naturally  concluded 
that  he  had  given  them  the  slip  in  the  dark,  and  without  further 
delay  went  to  sea  in  pursuit  of  him.  This,  perhnps,  is  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  instances  to  be  found  in  naval  history, 
of  escape  from  a  vigilance  so  active  and  persevering  as  that 
which  had  characterized  the  British  commander.  Nothing,  cer- 
tainly, could  be  more  simple  than  the  manoeuvre  which  was 
practised  to  elude  the  British  ships  ;  and  advantage  was  taken 
of  that  circumstance,  to  deny  to  the  Commodore  the  merit  of 
having  devised  it  with  a  view  to  deceive  his  adversary ;  it  was 
asserted,  that  he  had  rather  profited  by  an  unexpected  result, 
than  formed  any  preconception  of  the  effect  his  movement 
would  have  ;  but  the  assertion  was  as  gratuitous  as  it  was  illi- 
beral —  if  there  be  any  merit  in  devising  a  plan  to  deceive  a 
superior  enemy,  that  merit  was  certainly  his  in  the  present  case. 

As  soon  as  his  pilot-boat  returned  with  the  information  that 
the  British  ships  had  gone  to  sea,  he  again  weighed  anchor, 
and  found  a  clear  passage  to  the  ocean.     He  had  a  glimpse  of 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


217 


his  enemy,  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  four  or  five  leagues  to 
the  southeast  of  him,  but  his  own  course  being  to  the  north- 
ward and  eastward,  he  pursued  it  steadily  all  night,  and  by  the 
next  morning  was  free  from  all  danger  of  farther  annoyance 
from  that  squadron. 

It  was  no  small  matter  of  triumph,  that,   after    keeping   so 
many  English  ships  —  never  less  thanjwe,  and  generally  eight  — 
watching  his  motions  for  five  or  six  months,  he  should  succeed 
in  getting   to  sea,  in  their  very  faces,  and  disappoint   them  of 
their  expected  prey.     But  this  was  not  the  only  English  squad- 
ron, whose  sole  occupation  during  this  summer  was,  to    watch 
for  and  circumvent  Commodore  Barney ;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
his  capture  would  have  been  the  cause  of  as  much  rejoicing  in 
the   English  fleet  as  the  achievement  of  the  most  brilliant   en- 
terprise in  which  they  were  engaged.      He  was  the  most  active 
of  all  the  officers  of  the  Republic  in  the  American  seas,  besides 
which,  there  was  another  spur  to  the  English  excitement  against 
him,  in  the  reminiscence  of  former  times.  —  His  passage  from 
Norfolk  was  sorely  beset,  and  nothing  but  the  most  skilful  and 
ingenious  manoeuvring  could   have  eluded  the  numerous  efforts 
to  waylay  him.     In  a   few    days  after  he  had   lost  sight  of  the 
blockading  squadron,    he    captured    a   brig    from    Bristol*  to 
Charleston  —  she  was  under  American  colors,  but  her  captain 
acknowledged  the  property  to  be  British,  and  she  was  therefore 
detained  and  manned.     Off  Turks  Island,  he  discovered  three 
large  ships  having  the  appearance  of  being  armed,  to  which  he 
gave  chase.     The  pursuit  of  these  vessels   carried  him    down 
upon  the  north  side  of  Cay   Cos,  where  about  sunset,  he    dis- 
covered three  ships  of   war,  lying  with  their  topsails  aback  in 
the  passage  —  he  observed    signals  exchanged  between   these 
ships  and  the  vessels  he  was  chasing,  and  found  himself  once 
more  under  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  stratagem,  to  escape  a 
perilous  predicament :  he  ordered  all  the  lower  sails  of  the  ships 
to  be  taken  in,  leaving  the  high  sails  set,  that  his  enemy  —  for 
he  did  not  doubt  that  they  were  English  ships  of  war — might 
be  induced  to  believe  that  he  was  still   pursuing  the  chase  with 
all  sail  set,  and    consequently  wait  for  his  coming   up.       He 
stood  on  thus  until  dark,  and  then  changed  his  course  and  beat 
to  windward  all  night —  by  the  next  day  he  had  regained  Turk's 
Island    passage,   from   which  he  had  been  seduced    upon  the 
chase  the  day  before,  and  was  thus  a  second  time  saved  by  sheer 
ingenuity   from  the   most  imminent   hazard.       After   passing 
through  Turks  Island  channel,  he  steered  for  Cape  Francois 
19 


£18  MEMOIR  OF 

but  very  soon  had  reason  to  believe,  that  his  enemy  were  lying 
off  that  port  in  wait  for  him.  He  fell  in  with  a  sloop  of  war, 
brig,  which  he  was  very  near  decoying  under  his  very  guns  by 
signals  that  she  mistook  for  British  ;  the  moment  she  discovered 
her  error,  she  got  out  her  oars,  and  was  thus  enabled,  there 
being  but  little  wind,  to  make  her  escape  ;  but  it  was  perceived, 
that  she  stood  directly  for  the  Cape,  and  kept  up  a  continued 
firing  of  alarm  guns,  which  left  no  doubt  that  the  enemy  were 
in  force  not  far  off.  This  inference  was  confirmed  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day,  by  the  discovery  of  three  ships  of  the 
line,  standing  off  to  the  rescue  of  the  brig.  This  furnished  a 
third  occasion  for  the  display  of  his  masterly  skill  in  nautical 
manoeuvres: — upon  the  discovery  of  those  ships,  which  were 
coming  down  upon  him  with  every  prospect  of  gaining  their 
point,  he  gave  orders  to  tack  and  stand  to  the  northward  by  the 
wind,  as  if  his  intention  had  been  to  get  to  windward  of  his 
enemy  during  the  night ;  the  natural  and  expected  effect  of 
this  movement,  was,  that  it  induced  the  enemy  to  pursue  the 
chase  by  the  wind  also,  which  they  no  doubt  continued  all  night; 
but  not  so  the  Commodore,  for  as  soon  as  night  came  on  he 
bore  away  to  the  westward  before  the  wind,  with  all  sail  set,  and 
at  day-break  next  morning  his  pursuers  were  no  where  to  be 
seen. 

He  was  not  so  fortunate,  however,  as  to  enjoy  a  very  long  res- 
pite from  fatigue  and  watchfulness  ;  the  seas  were  filled  with 
his  enemies,  who  seemed  to  have  stationed  themselves  at  so  ma- 
ny points  on  his  passage  as  to  render  final  escape  impossible. 
At  sunrise  of  this  day,  he  discovered  three  vessels  ahead  of  him, 
—  a  three-decker,  a  frigate,  and  a  cutter  —  land  was  insight, 
and  his  only  chance  was  to  push  directly  for  it,  and  if  possible 
get  into  Port  de  Paix  :  he  accordingly  crowded  sail  upon  his 
ships  and  steered  for  that  port—  his  pursuers  shortly  afterwards 
hoisted  English  colors  and  fired  a  gun  to  windward,  an  invitation 
to  battle  which  he  was  not  quite  so  mad  as  to  accept ;  but,  in 
answer,  hoisted  the  French  national  flag  and  continued  his 
course.  The  enemy  persevered  in  the  chase,  but.  it  was  observ- 
ed that  they  did  not  press  it  with  any  extraordinary  eagerness  — 
they  did  not  make  all  the  sail  they  might  have  done.  The  Com- 
modore kept  his  two  ships  well  together,  prepared  for  action  if 
it  should  be  forced  upon  him,  but  standing  all  day  steadily  for 
the  shore.  About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  finding  it  impos- 
sible to  weather  the  Island,  he  was  compelled  to  bear  away  and 
run  under  the  west  end  of  Tortudas   in  order  to  get  into  port ; 


COMMODORE  BARiNEY.  219 

this  change  of  course  brought  him  unavoidably  nearer  the 
enemy,  the  van  of  whose  ships  happened  to  be  the  frigate,  and 
it  became  her  turn  to  endeavor  to  get  out  of  the  scrape.  Ob- 
serving that  her  colossal  consort  was  at  too  great  a  distance  to 
afford  her  any  assistance,  she  backed  her  main  and  mizen  top- 
sails, and  showed  that  she  thought  herself  quite  as  near  to  the 
French  ships  as  it  would  be  prudent  to  come.  In  this  situation 
of  things,  the  Commodore  hailed  the  Insurgent 'e,  and  ordered 
her  to  open  a  fire  upon  the  English  frigate,  which  he  seconded 
by  a  few  shots  from  his  quarter  and  stern  guns.  This  seemed 
to  throw  the  enemy  into  considerable  confusion,  and  compel 
him  to  tack  ship  ;  but  by  the  time  this  was  effected,  the  other 
ship  came  up,  and  the  Medusa  directed  her  fire  against  her. 
For  a  few  minutes  the  firing  was  kept  up  with  some  vigor,  but 
as  this  new  antagonist  —  for  some  reason  which  could  not  be 
comprehended  —  followed  the  example  of  the  frigate  in  back- 
ing her  topsails,  the  Commodore  thought  it  prudent  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  circumstance  and  continue  his  course.  Neither  of 
his  ships  had  received  the  slightest  damage  from  the  enemy,  and 
that  night  he  gained  his  object  by  making  the  land  off  Port  de 
Paix,  which  he  entered  safely  the  next  morning.  As  he  en- 
tered the  port,  he  could  perceive  the  hostile  ships  lying  exactly 
where  he  had  left  them  the  evening  before,  and  to  all  appear- 
ance busy  in  repairing  damages  ! — Thus  did  he  escape  the 
fourth  division  of  English  ships,  which  had  been  posted  for  the 
express  purpose  of  intercepting  him  in  his  passage  from  Nor- 
folk to  the  West  Indies,  and  which  had  been,  from  March  till 
September,  traversing  all  the  ordinary  tracks  for  no  other  ob- 
ject. If  his  safety  may  not  be  attributed  to  superior  nautical  skill, 
then  we  confess  ourselves  wholly  unable  to  account  for  it  :  one 
escape  mi _' lit  have  been  the  effect  of  chance  ;  but  to  ascribe 
his  preservation  four  different  times  to  the  operation  of  the 
same  blind  principle,  would  be  as  contrary  to  sound  philoso- 
phy, as  it  would  be  unjust  and  ungenerous  towards  one,  who 
was  as  expert  in  all  the  arts  of  his  profession  as  he  was  gallant, 
brave,  and  honorable. 

At  Port  de  Paix,  the  Commodore  left  his  two  frigates,  and 
proceeded  immediately  to  the  Cape,  himself,  in  a  small  armed 
schooner.  The  excessive  fatigue  and  unremitted  vigilance,  to 
which  he  had  subjected  himself  during  the  whole  of  his  expos- 
ed and  hazardous  passage  from  Norfolk,  proved  too  much  for 
his  constitution,  stout  and  vigorous  as  it  had  been,  to  bear ; 
and  he  was  taken  ill  as  soon  as  he   arrived  at  the  Cape.     For 


2-20 


MEMOIR  OF 


sixteen  days,  his  friends  entertained  scarcely  a  hope  of  his  re- 
covery ;  but  at  the  end  of  that  period,  his  fever  took  a  favora- 
ble turn,  and  he  began  slowly  to  get  better.  During  his  con- 
valescence, which  was  long  and  tedious,  his  two  frigates  were 
ordered  to  France,  and  were  of  course  obliged  to  sail  without 
him,  for  he  was  so  feeble  and  reduced  that  a  voyage  to  Europe 
at  that  season  of  the  year,  would  have  been  fatal  to  him.  The 
sailing  of  his  frigates,  induced  the  enemy  to  raise  the  blockade 
of  the  port,  and  shortly  afterwards  three  French  frigates  arriv- 
ed, bringing  a  number  of  troops,  and  a  new  agent  to  supply  the 
place  of  Sontbonax.  This  arrival,  instead  of  adding  anything 
to  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Colony,  rather  served  to  aug- 
ment its  distresses  and  misfortunes  ;  for  while  it  increased  the 
number  to  be  provided  for,  it  brought  no  melioration  of  the 
means  of  providing  for  them. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  Commodore  found,  as  he  had  an- 
ticipated, that  the  failure  of  the  Baltimore  houses  to  comply 
with  their  engagements  to  him,  was  made  the  pretext  for  re- 
fusing to  pay  him  for  the  supplies  which  had  been  actually  fur- 
nished.. The  neiv  agents  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  expend 
their  funds  in  paying  for  former  supplies,  when  it  would  re- 
quire all  their  ingenuity  to  make  them  adequate  to  the  relief  of 
present  wants.  But  they  told  him  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
in  getting  his  accounts  settled  in  France,  where  if  he  desired  to 
go  for  that  purpose,  one  of  the  frigates  in  port  should  be  placed 
at  his  disposal.  This  was  even  more  civility  than  he  expected 
under  the  new  order  of  things,  and  he  made  no  hesitation  in 
accepting  it.  But  before  he  could  get  ready  to  embark  in  the 
frigate  the  enemy  were  again  in  force  off  the  port,  and 
]798  abandoning  the  design  of  taking  passage  in  her,  he 
chartered  a  small  pilot  boat,  of  fifty  tons,  then  lying  in 
the  harbor,  and  determined  to  trust  to  his  good  fortune  for  a 
safe  voyage  to  France.  During  his  present  residence  at  the 
Cape,  he  had  kept  up  his  friendly  intercourse  with  all  the  men 
in  power,  and  particularly  with  the  black  Generals  Touissaint 
and  Chrislophe,  who  were  very  attentive  to  him  in  his  illness, 
and  who  would  gladly  have  detained  him  at  the  Cape,  if  they 
could  have  found  inducements  sufficiently  strong  to  prevail  upon 
him.  They  furnished  him  with  many  little  comforts  for  his 
voyage  which  were  not  to  be  purchased  with  money,  and  took 
an  affectionate  leave  of  him   when  he  departed. 

A  French  general,  attended   by   an  aid-de-camp,    who  was 
entrusted   with  despatches  for   the  government,  prevailed  upon 


COMMODORE   BARNEY. 


221 


the  Commodore  to  take  them  on  board  his  little  pilot  boat, 
which  he  preferred  to  the  doubtful  chance  of  getting  away  in 
one  of  the  frigates.  He  mounted  two  guns  upon  the  schooner, 
and  counting  his  passengers  and  himself,  mustered  sixteen  in- 
dividuals on  board!  Thus  humbly  equipped,  he  proceeded  to 
sea,  and  was  immediately  chased  by  the  enemy,  who  no  doubt 
had  received  intelligence  of  his  being  on  board  ;  but  he  hoisted 
his  French  colors,  made  all  the  sail  he  could  spread  to  advan- 
tage, and  soon  left  his  pursuers  behind.  A  few  days  after  he 
had  been  at  sea,  he  discovered  that  his  water  casks  leaked,  and 
that  nearly  all  his  water  was  wasted.  There  was  no  possible 
remedy  for  such  a  disaster,  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean,  but  to 
look  out  for  vessels  that  might  be  found  kind  enough  to  supply 
them.  They  fortunately  spoke  three  Americans,  before  the 
water  had  entirely  given  out,  and  were  thus  saved  from  the 
most  distressing  of  all  privations,  the  want  of  water.  The 
schooner  was  very  small,  and  so  deeply  laden,  that  whenever 
the  wind  blew  at  all  fresh,  every  sea  broke  over  her  and  ren- 
dered her  excessively  uncomfortable  —  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  they  were  often  obliged,  even  when  the  wind  was  fair,  to 
lay  to  and  lose  all  advantage  from  it.  Upon  arriving  off  the 
Portuguese  Islands  of  Corvo  and  Flores,  it  was  found  that  their 
supply  of  water  was  again  becoming  so  scanty,  that  though 
these  were  enemy's  ports,  it  would  be  necessary,  either  by 
force  or  stratagem,  to  seek  to  renew  it.  The  Commodore  pro- 
posed to  hoist  English  colors  and  run  boldly  into  port,  where 
if  opposition  should  be  made,  they  should  resort  to  force,  for 
water  must  be  obtained  by  some  means  or  other.  While  the 
two  Chefs  de  Division,  naval  and  military,  —  whose  joint  forces, 
as  we  have  seen,  themselves  included,  amounted  to  sixteen  men 
—  were  discussing  the  safest  plan  of  operations,  a  sail  was 
announced,  and  they  stood  for  her  under  English  colors  —  the 
vessel  answered  the  salutation  by  hoisting  her  Portuguese  flag, 
and  a  parley  ensued  ;  the  Frenchman  having  found  out  the 
capacity  of  their  adversary,  hoisted  the  National  flag,  and  fired 
a  musket,  by  way  of  showing  what  they  could  do  in  case  of  re- 
sistance—  which,  however,  was  not  attempted  —  and  the  Por- 
tuguese hauled  down  his  colors.  She  was  a  sloop  from  Lisbon, 
bound  upon  a  trading  voyage  among  the  Islands  with  a  cargo  of 
salt,  which  of  all  things  in  the  world  happened  to  be  that  which 
the  captors  stood  least  in  need  of.  She  had  just  been  into  port, 
however,  and  had  a  good  supply  of  fresh  beef  and  vegetables, 
and  plenty  of  water  —  to  these  articles,  the  Commodore  helped 
19* 


222 


MEMOIR  OF 


himself  liberally,  and  then,  to  the  most  agreeable  surprise  of 
the  Portuguese  captain,  gave  him  back  his  vessel  and  cargo. 

After  a  tedious  and  uncomfortable  voyage  of  forty  three 
days,  they  arrived  safely  at  Corunna,  in  Spain, —  having,  a 
few  nights  before,  passed  within  musket  shot  of  five  armed 
ships  without  being  discovered.  At  Corunna,  the  Commodore 
and  his  compagnons  du  voyage  landed,  determining  to  travel 
from  thence  to  Paris  by  land — the  schooner,  he  despatched 
for  Bordeaux.  The  only  mode  of  travelling  in  Spain,  at  this 
period,  was  on  post  horses,  and  these  of  the  most  wretched 
sort,  meagre,  small,  and  so  miserably  feeble  and  poor-spirited, 
that  the  travellers  were  seven  days  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
eighth  night  on  the  road  from  Corunna  to  Bayonne.  There 
were  no  inns,  or  places  of  public  accommodation  on  the  road, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  sleep  in  stables,  and  procure  refresh- 
ments as  their  good  luck  enabled  them  among  the  ill  provided 
peasantry.  At  Bayonne,  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  hire  a 
carriage  to  Bordeaux,  in  which  they  travelled  not  only  with 
more  comfort  but  incomparably  greater  expedition.  The  Com- 
modore's schooner  arrived  at  Bordeaux  two  days  after  himself. 
He  sold  his  cargo  of  coffee  here  for  a  profit  of  four  hundred 
per  cent  and  bought  himself  a  neat  travelling  equipage,  in  which 
he  made  his  journey  to  Paris  solus.  He  arrived  at  the  metro- 
polis in  October,  and  took  lodgings  at  the  Hotel  Grange,  Bati- 
lier.  He  lost  no  time,  as  we  may  suppose,  when  we  consider 
the  heavy  responsibilities  he  had  assumed,  in  waiting  upon  his 
banker,  (who  was  also  his  privateer  agent,)  M.  Peregaux. 
He  found,  that  all  his  drafts  upon  him  in  favor  of  the  consul 
general  —  to  the  very  serious  amount  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  eight  thousand  dollars  —  had  been  paid,  but  that  the 
corresponding  bills  of  that  functionary  upon  the  Ministers  of 
Marine  and  Finance,  still  remained  unpaid:  to  add  to  his  dis- 
appointment and  vexation  on  this  subject,  his  banker  seemed  to 
entertain  very  little  hope,  that  the  bills  would  ever  be  paid. 
We  cannot  wonder  that  such  a  state  of  things  had  an  effect  even 
upon  his  high  and  buoyant  spirits,  and  that  he  felt  in  no  humor 
to  enter  into  any  of  the  gayeties  of  Paris.  Here  was  the 
greater  part  of  the  fruits  of  his  many  toils  and  perils  —  the 
means  by  which  he  had  expected  to  make  his  family  independ- 
ent—  if  not  entirely  lost  to  him,  at  least  in  alarming  jeopardy. 
He  reported  himself  forthwith  to  the  Minister  of  Marine ;  and 
from  a  hope  that  his  personal  exertions  might  be  attended  with 
better  success  than  those  of  his  banker,  he  solicited  and  readily 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


223 


obtained  permission  to  remain  in  Paris,  for  the  purpose  of  ap- 
plying to  the  proper  authorities  for  payment.  —  The  power  of 
the  French  Republic  at  this  period  was  overwhelming,  and  the 
insolence  of  its  government  in  the  same  proportion  unrestrained 
by  any  considerations  of  justice  or  national  virtue.  Nearly  the 
whole  continent,  with  the  exception  of  Russia  and  Prussia,  had 
been  subdued  by  the  invincible  soldiers  of  the  Republic,  and 
Spain,  Italy,  and  Holland,  had  not  only  been  conquered,  but 
were  actually  little  more  than  colonies  of  France.  The  young 
Corsican,  who  had  won  the  admiration  of  the  Parisians  five 
years  before  by  beating  them  at  the  head  of  the  Conventional 
troops,  finding  no  longer  a  field  in  Europe  for  the  display  of 
his  genius,  was  gone  to  plant  his  banners  in  the  land  of  the  Pha- 
roahs  ;  and  intoxicated  with  constant  victories,  the  government 
gave  itself  up  to  more  atrocious  acts  of  depravity  than  had  dis- 
graced the  nation  in  its  wildest  anarchy.  The  Directory  were 
only  to  be  approached  by  high  bribes,  which  few  persons  in 
search  of  mere  justice  were  able  to  pay  ;  and  every  officer 
from  the  lowest  subordinates  to  the  Ministers  themselves,  sold 
their  labors  and  their  influence  at  a  premium  which  left  a  claim- 
ant but  little  hope  of  receiving  anything  even  when  his  claim 
was  admitted  and  ordered  to  be  paid. 

More  than  a  year  was  spent  by  Commodore  Barney  and  his 
friends — of  whom  he  had  many  and  powerful  ones  — 
1799  before  he  could  obtain  anything  more  than  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  debt  due  to  him.  His  very  soul  revolt- 
ed at  the  idea  of  bribing  the  Directory  to  do  him  justice,  and 
severe  as  the  loss  to  him  would  be,  he  determined  rather  to  let 
them  keep  the  whole  by  their  own  wanton  exercise  of  power, 
than  be  instrumental  in  promoting  the  cause  of  corruption  by 
voluntarily  giving  any  part  of  it  to  feed  their  rapacity.  He 
continued  to  importune  them  from  day  to  day,  but  though  he 
had  no  reason  to  complain  of  want  of  civility,  he  was  constant- 
ly told  that  there  was  no  money  in  the  treasury.  With  the  hope 
perhaps  of  getting  rid  of  his  persevering  applications,  they  ap-  • 
pointed  him  to  the  command  of  the  whole  West  India  fleet, 
and  ordered  him  to  proceed  immediately  to  Rochfort,  where 
ten  ships  of  war  were  lying  destined  for  that  service  :  he  was 
to  takeout  the  agents  for  the  different  colonies,  and  then  distri- 
bute his  fleet  as  he  thought  proper.  Rut  even  this  splendid 
offer  did  not  stop  his  demands  for  payment  of  his  claim  :  he 
was  resolved  not  to  move  from  Paris  until  some  settlement  of 
that  was  made.     At  length  on  the  8th  of  November,  1799,  the 


224 


MEMOIR  OF 


Directory  assured  him  that  he  should  be  paid  the  next  day  — 
the  reader  who  is  conversant  with  the  history  of  the  period,  will 
remember  that  Bonaparte  arrived  from  Egypt  in  the  previous 
month  of  October,  and  that  on  the  ninth  day  of  November 
( — ■  the  day  on  which  the  Directory  had  promised  to  pay  Bar- 
ney,) he  took  the  reins  of  government  into  his  own  hands,  and 
on  the  *  next  day'  was  declared  First  Consul !  Thus  was  every- 
thing thrown  into  new  forms,  and  all  his  solicitations  were  to  be 
repeated  through  other  channels.  He  positively  refused  to  en- 
ter into  service,  and  made  such  strong  remonstrances  to  the 
Minister  of  Marine,  that  his  furlough  was  renewed,  that  he 
might  continue  in  Paris  to  try  the  effect  of  an  application  to  the 
First  Consul. 

In  the  revolution  of  the  memorable  9th  of  November,  by 
which  the  Directory  and  the  two  Councils  were  put  down  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  another  of  the  numerous  Consti- 
tutions, which  it  has  been  said  the  celebrated  Abbe  Sieyes 
always  carried  in  his  pocket,  imposed  upon  the  people,  Com- 
modore Barney  took  no  part.  He  was  not  even  a  looker  on  at 
the  Tuileries,  nor  had  he  the  curiosity  to  follow  the  crowd  to 
St  Cloud  —  afterwards  rendered  so  famous  as  the  residence  of 
the  Imperial  Court  —  to  see  the  legislative  body,  which  had 
been  convoked  there,  thrust  out  of  the  Council  Chamber  by 
the  grenadiers  of  '  the  people's  idol  ! '  —  The  Directory  had 
managed  to  render  itself  odious  to  all  rational  and  moderate 
friends  of  liberty,  and  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  was  little 
better  than  a  mob  of  Jacobins,  who  retained  all  the  sanguinary 
principles  of  the  era  of  Robespierre,  and  seemed  to  act  under 
the  persuasion  that  their  countrymen  were  to  be  governed  only 
by  a  system  of  terror.  Under  such  circumstances,  it  was  hardly 
possible  that  any  change  in  the  government  could  be  for  the 
worse  ;  and  the  subject  of  our  narrative  had  never  felt  suffi- 
cient interest  in  the  internal  affairs  of  France,  to  range  himself 
under  the  banner  of  any  of  the  various  political  parties,  into 
which  it  had  been  from  year  to  year,  and  indeed  from  month  to 
month,  divided.  He  contented  himself,  therefore,  with  wait- 
ing quietly  until  order  should  be  again  restored,  and  in  the 
meantime  found  full  occupation  in  looking  into  his  private 
affairs,  which  unfortunately  for  him,  he  was  but  too  much  in  the 
habit  of  trusting  to  the  management  of  others.  The  reader 
will  recollect  that  he  was  largely  concerned  in  several  privateer 
cruisers,  besides  the  cutter  which  was  his  own  exclusive  pro- 
perty, and  that  this  was  the  first  opportunity  he  had  had,  for 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  225 

several  years,  of  ascertaining  whether  their  enterprises  had 
been  successful  or  otherwise.  He  learned,  upon  inquiry,  that 
they  had  captured  and  sent  in  many  rich  and  valuable  prizes, 
his  portion  of  which  would  probably  nearly  cover  the  loss, 
which  there  was  but  too  much  reason  to  fear  he  should  sustain, 
by  the  failure  of  the  government  to  repay  his  advances;  but, 
when  he  called  upon  the  several  agents  and  persons  concerned, 
for  a  settlement  of  their  respective  accounts,  he  was  soon  convinc- 
ed that  he  had  nothing  to  hope  from  that  source.  He  had  placed 
his  confidence  in  sharpers  and  swindlers,  from  whose  gripe  it 
was  impossible  to  rescue,  by  any  process  of  force  or  persua- 
sion, the  various  sums  which  had  at  different  times  fallen  into 
their  hands :  the  amount,  of  which  he  was  defrauded  by  the 
villainy  of  a  single  individual,  concerned  in  one  of  the  priva- 
teers, was  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  —  his  ag- 
gregate loss  was,  of  course,  nearly  double  that  sum  :  —  we  say 
loss,  because  the  money  had  been  actually  gained,  and  was  le- 
gally and  justly  his  property. 

But  there  was  a  still  deeper  vexation  in  store  for  him,  from  a 
source  from  which  he  but  little  expected  anything  unfair  or 
dishonorable.  It  is  perhaps  remembered  by  the  reader,  that  in 
the  year  1794,  just  before  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  Chef 
de  Division  in  the  service  of  the  Republic,  he  had  received 
from  the  Committee  of  Finance  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
debt  due  his  partner  and  himself  by  the  St  Domingo  agents, 
for  a  part  of  the  Sampson's  cargo,  and  that  orders  had  been 
given  to  the  French  Minister  in  the  United  States  to  provide 
for  its  payment  out  of  the  debt  due  by  the  government  of  the 
latter  to  France,  upon  his  visit  to  Bordeaux  in  that  year,  for 
the  purpose  ot  despatching  the  several  vessels  which  had  brought 
out  the  flour  under  his  contract  with  the  French  Minister,  we 
mentioned  that  he  had  been  so  fortunate,  as  he  then  thought, 
to  sell  his  claim  upon  the  French  government  to  a  house  in  Bor- 
deaux, which  had  enabled  him  to  make  a  full  return  to  his  part- 
ner upon  their  flour  contract,  without  detaining  his  vessels  to 
wait  for  the  brandies,  for  which  he  had  the  orders  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Finance,  but  which  could  not,  have  been  collected  for 
several  months  in  sufficient  quantities  to  load  his  several  vessels. 
He  regarded  as  fortunate  this  sale  of  his  claim,  not  because  he 
entertained  the  slightest  doubt  of  its  validity  —  for  that  had  al- 
ready been  acknowledged  —  or  that  he  believed  there  would  be 
any  obstacle  to  its  being  provided  for  as  the  government  iiad 
prescribed  — but  its  sale,  at  that  moment,  enabled  him  to  close 


226 


MEMOIR  OF 


accounts  with  his  partner  at  home,  freed  him  from  all  business 
obligations  in  which  the  interests  of  others  were  in  his  charge, 
and  left  him  at  liberty  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Republic, 
which  he  had  only  been  prevented  from  doing,  (when  the  Na- 
tional Convention  had  in  a  manner  so  honorable  to  him  pressed 
it  upon  him,)  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  those  who  were  concerned 
with  him  in  the  affairs  that  brought  him  to  France.  He  had 
believed  it.  to  be  explicitly  understood,  that  the  Bordeaux  house 
purchased  the  claim  at  their  own  risk  and  peril  :  they  were  as 
well. acquainted  with  its  nature  as  he  was,  and  much  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  French  government  and  the  credit  due  to  its 
financial  arrangements  —  the  only  risk  or  peril,  however,  appre- 
hended on  either  side  was  the  delay  that  might  occur  in  its 
final  payment ;  and  this  delay  was  of  course  taken  into  ccmsid- 
eration  in  adjusting  the  terms  of  purchase  and  sale.  They 
purchased  the  claim  upon  terms  which  they  believed  would 
bring  them  a  handsome  profit  —  the  seller,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  contented  with  his  bargain,  solely  for  the  reasons  we  have 
stated  ;  he  gained  time,  and  became  at  once  master  of  his  own 
actions.  But  it  would  have  been  infinitely  better  for  him,  as  it 
turned  out,  to  have  waited  until  the  next  year's  crop  of  grapes 
had  been  distilled  into  brandy,  or  have  bound  himself  by  new 
obligations  to  other  men's  business  for  an  indefinite  sum  than 
have  purchased  his  freedom  at  so  dear  a  rate.  —  He  had  scarce- 
ly left  France  with  the  honorable  command  of  two  frigates  for 
the  West  Indies,  when  suit  was  instituted  against  him  at  Bor- 
deaux, to  recover  back  the  money  which  had  been  paid  him 
for  the  claim  against  the  government !  Though  it  had  been 
perfectly  understood  that  considerable  delay  might  occur  in  the 
payment  of  the  claim  by  the  government,  and  this  delay  had 
been  taken  into  calculation  in  the  purchase,  besides  the  consid- 
eration that  it  was  a  final  bargain  so  far  as  the  seller  was  con- 
cerned, it  seems  this  Bordeaux  house,  having  failed  in  their  first 
application  to  the  government,  lost  their  temper,  as  well  as  their 
recollection  of  the  terms  of  agreement,  and  forthwith  resorted  to 
the  Courts  to  enforce  restitution  from  the  seller.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  Commodore  Barney  from  the  country,  and  the  fail- 
ure of  any  person  to  appear  for  him  in  Bordeaux  to  defend  the 
suit,  it  was  no  difficult  matter  for  a  wealthy  and  influential  firm, 
to  obtain  a  judgment  against  him  in  the  Court  at  Bordeaux. 
On  his  return  to  France,  he  of  course  appealed  from  this  ini- 
quitous judgment,  and  carried  the  cause  through  all  the  various 
forms  of  judicial  appeal  then  known  to  the  laws  of  the  Repub- 


COMMODORE    BARNEY. 


227 


lie  ;  but  as  in  truth  the  Courts  were  mere  forms,  where  bribery 
and  corruption  never  failed  to  carry  the  day  against  law  and 
equity,  he  was  finally  condemned  to  pay  the  enormous  sum  of 
fiftyone  thousand  dollars,  being  seventeen  thousand  more  than 
the  original  amount  of  his  claim  on  the  government,  and  con- 
siderably upwards  of  twenty  thousand  more  than  he  had  receiv- 
ed for  it !  But  in  addition  to  this,  a  large  portion  of  the  claim 
had  been  actually  paid  by  the  government  to  the  Bordeaux 
house,  so  that  they  made  a  handsome  speculation  by  their  in- 
timacy with  the  modes  of  doing  business  in  the  French  Repub- 
lic !  It  was  in  vain  to  protest  against  such  prostitution  of  justice  : 
he  would  not  have  resorted  to  the  same  means  that  were  so 
successfully  employed  against  him,  to  have  saved  himself  from 
beggary  and  ruin  ;  and  he  was  consequently  compelled  to  sub- 
mit.    He  was  now  actually   minus,  by  his  connexion  with  the 

Republic,    nearly  two    hundred   thousand   dollars,    and 
1800     it  cannot  be  matter  of  wonder,  that  he  should  feel  no 

interest  in  the  important  political  events  that  were  now 
bursting  upon  the  world  from  the  revolution  of  St  Cloud. 

As  soon  as  the  first  Consul,  by  his  prompt  and  decisive 
measures,  and  his  intuitive  sagacity  as  a  statesman,  had  restored 
order  to  the  several  departments  of  the  new  government,  and 
was  at  leisure  to  attend  to  minor  concerns  and  the  complaints  of 
individuals,  the  Commodore  procured  an  introduction  to  him, 
through  his  friend  Admiral  Gantheaume,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
newing to  the  head  of  the  Government  application  for  the  pay- 
ment of  his  claims.  The  First  Consul  received  him  with  the 
most  winning  urbanity,  entered  into  immediate  and  rapid  dis- 
course with  him  respecting  the  United  States,  the  situation  of 
St  Domingo,  the  conduct  of  the  agents  there,  he,  and  seemed  to 
be  as  well  acquainted  as  Barney  himself  with  all  the  subjects 
upon  which  he  asked  his  information.  He  invited  him  to  dine 
with  him,  hoped  he  should  see  him  often  at  his  levees,  and 
bowed  him  out  without  giving  an  opportunity  for  a  word  to  be 
said  in  relation  to  the  claim.  It  was  gaining  something,  how- 
ever, he  thought,  to  have  had  such  an  introduction  as  placed 
him  at  once  in  the  distinguished  circle  that  surrounded  the 
great  man,  and  he  was  determined  to  lose  nothing  by  neglect- 
ing to  use  the  privileges  allowed  him.  He  attended  all  the  mil- 
itary parades,  in  his  uniform  of  Chef  de  Division,  or  general 
officer,  never  missed  one  of  Josephine's  elegant  and  agreeable 
soirees,  and  had  the  honor  of  frequent  invitations  to  the  table  of 
the    Consul.     But  all  this  brought  him  no  money ;  he  found 


228 


MEMOIR  OF 


that  he  did  not  advance  a  single  step  nearer  towards  obtaining 
a  settlement  of  his  claim  ;  and  the  only  effect  of  the  distinction 
with  which  he  was  treated  by  the  great  Captain,  was  to  raise  up 
a  host  of  enemies  against  him  in  the  jealous  sycophants,  who 
even  then  formed  a  regular  body  of  courtiers,  who  lived  upon 
the  smiles  of  the  future  emperor.  It  was  in  vain  he  applied  to 
every  person  supposed  to  have  influence  with  the  Consul;  — 
those  who  were  willing  to  promise  the  liquidation  of  his  claim, 
made  such  extravagant  demands,  as  fees  of  office,  amounting 
to  one  third,  and  sometimes  to  one  half,  the  sums  to  be  receiv- 
ed, that  he  preferred  to  lose  the  whole,  rather  than  submit  to 
the  imposition.  Tired  at  length  of  fruitless  solicitation,  he  de- 
termined to  return  to  the  United  States,  and  for  that  purpose, 
in  October  of  this  year,  he  demanded  his  discharge  from  the 
French  service  ;  but  the  consul  refused  to  grant  it  at  that  mo- 
ment, on  the  flattering  pretence  that  he  had,  or  would  soon  have, 
important  occasion  for  his  services,  which  he  added  might  be 
the  more  willingly  rendered  since  peace  had  been  made  be- 
tween his  native  and  adopted  countries.  As  he  could  not  with 
propriety  insist  upon  throwing  up  his  commission  at  the  moment 
he  was  told  that  his  services  would  be  wanted,  he  was  obliged 
to  make  up  his  mind  as  well  as  he  could  to  the  disappointment ; 
and  resolved  to  employ  the  time  of  his  further  detention  at  Pa- 
ris, in  still  pursuing  every  measure  circumstances  might  suggest 
to  bring  about  a  settlement  of  his  claim.  But  it  was  all  to  no 
purpose  :  several  laws  were  passed  which  funded  certain  debts 
of  particular  years,  and  his  was  among  the  number  for  which 
this  future  provision  was  made ;  and  upon  the  conclusion  of  the 
treaty  with  the  United  States,  he  was  admitted  to  claim  as  an 
American  citizen,  but  there  was  no  specific  provision  for  his  pay- 
ment, and  he  could  only  come  in  under  the  general  article  pre- 
scribing the  reciprocal  liquidation  of  all  debts  between  the  two 
nations. 

About  this  period,  we  find  among  his  papers,  a  letter  from  La 
Fayette,  alluding  to  certain  generous  plans  to  rescue  his  wife 
and  family  from  Jacobinical  tyranny,  but  when,  where,  or  what 
these  plans  were,  we  regret  our  total  incapability  to  explain,  as 
the  Commodore  made  no  memorandum  of  the  circumstance,  nor 
a  single  note  in  his  journal  in  reference  to  it.  The  letter  gives 
no  elucidation  of  the  incident,  being  altogether  one  of  grateful 
acknowledgment,  and  of  regret  that  circumstances  prevent  his 
*  coming  nearer  the  capital'  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of 
taking  by  the  hand  an  American  fellow-citizen,  who  hasglori- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  "^^ 

ously  supported  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  and  the  republi- 
can colors  of  France.'  There  is  one  passage  in  the  letter, 
which  shows  how  clearly  the  writer  foresaw  the  end  to  which 
the  revolution  was  hastening,  and  how  well  he  understood  the 
character  of  his  countrymen.  After  his  allusion  to  the  Jaco- 
binism of  the  former  councils,  he  speaks  of  the  elevation  of  the 
First  Consul,  as  the  proceedings  of  a  coalition  more  congenial  to 
the  opposite  extreme  than  either  party  seem  to  be  aware  of ! 
If  the  book  of  destiny  had  been  unrolled  before  him,  he  could 
not  have  spoken  with  a  more  prophetic  spirit. 

After  waiting  nearly  two  yea.rs  longer,  during  which  time  the 
♦occasion  for  his  services'   to    which  the  Consul  had   alluded, 
did  not  occur,  he  renewed  his  application  to  be  discharg- 
1802      ed,  and  it  was  r\ow  complied  with,  in  a  manner  well  cal- 
culated to  soothe  his  feelings  and  gratify  his  pride.      He 
was  placed  upon  the  pension  roll  at  an  allowance  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred pounds  per  annum   during  life,  and  received  a  letter  from 
the  Minister  of   Marine,  written  by  order  of  the  consul,  in  which 
his  services  t-0  the  republic  are  spoken  of  in  the   highest   terms 
of  comply  nent.     The  pension  he  never  claimed,  nor  wmild  he 
have  received  it  under  any  circumstances  of  the  direst  necessi- 
ty ;  bathe  felt  proud  of  the  testimony  given  to  his  merits,  be- 
cause he  was  conscious  his  conduct  had  deserved  it.  —An   in- 
ornate friend  of  the  Commodore,  the  late  Paul  Bentelou,  Esq.  ot 
Baltimore  —  a  gallant  soldier  of  our  revolution,  who  fought  un- 
der the  banner  of  the  brave  Pulaski  —  was  at  this  time  in  Pans, 
and  kindly  took  upon  himself  the  charge  of  those  private  affairs 
which  he  was  still  obliged  to  leave  unsettled  ;  and  the  Commo- 
dore, leaving   with   him  full    powers  to  act  in  his   behalf,  bade 
adieu  to  the  capital  on  the  first  of  July,  1802,  and  on  the  1 4th 
of  the  same  month  embark  .od  at  Havre  de  Grace  for  the  United 
States. 


20 


CHAPTER  XVI, 


Bad  condition  of  the  ship  '  Neptune.'  —  She  puts  into  Fayalfor  repairs.  —  Po- 
liteness of  the  American  consul  there.  —  Difficulty  of  procuring  requisite  ma- 
terials.—  Trade  winds.  —  Ignorance  and  obstinacy  of  the  captain  of  the  Nep- 
tune.—  Storm  off  Cape  Hatteras.  —  The  Neptune  sinks. — Passengers  and 
crew  saved  by  a  small  schooner. —  Exorbitant  demand  of  her  skipper  for  taking 
them  into  Hampton.  —  The  Commodore  arrives  at  Baltimore.  —  Reflections 
upon  his  past  career  :  —  calumnies  refuted.  —  Disappointments  in  the  settle- 
ment of  his  affairs  :  —  active  hostility  of  those  whom  he  had  most  befriended  : 
—  baseness  of  his  St  Domingo  agent : —  law  suits.  —  His  family.  —  Arrival  of 
Jerome  Bonaparte  and  suite  at  Baltimore  : —  they  take  up  their  residence  with 
the  Commodore  :  —  excursions  through  the  country: —  Jerome/a//s  in  love  : — 
remonstrance  and.advice  thrown  away  upon  him  :■ —  his  marriage.  —  Anecdotes 
of  General  Reubel.  —  Restoration  of  the  value  of  ship  Sampson  and  cargo.  — 
The  Commodore  establishes  his  three  sons  in  business  with  a  large  capital.  — 
He  receives  a  large  remittance  from  Paris  :  —  becomes  a  candidate  for  Con- 
gress—  his  popularity  in  Baltimore  proof  against  slander. —  'Chesapeake 
affair.'  —  He  offers  his  services  to  Mr  Jefferson.  —  Death  of  Mrs  Barney.  — 
He  renews  the  offer  of  his  services  to  Mr  Madison.  —  His  last  commercial 
enterprise  —  and  its  loss. — He  takes  a  second  wife:  —  becomes  again  a  can- 
didate for  Congress,  and  is  a  second  time  defeated. 

The  vessel  in  which  our  ci-devant  French  citizen  and  Chefde 
Division  des  Armees  Navales,  embarked  on  his  homeward  voy- 
age, was  an  old  French  ship,  with  an  American  captain,   bound 
to  Norfolk.     She  had  a  number  of  passengers,  among   whom 
the  Commodore    was    gratified  to  recognise  one  or   two  of  his 
Baltimore  friends.     At  present,  the  voyage  to  and  from  Europe 
and  the  United    States,  is  a  matter  of  such   every  day   occur- 
rence, and  the  regular  monthly  and  weekly  packets  afford  such 
comfortable  accommodations,  that  a  passenger  has  no  chance  of 
forming  an  idea  how  differently  the  same  thing  was   managed 
thirty  years  ago.     He  has  now  his  choice  of  half  a  dozen  fine, 
elegant  ships,  perhaps,  all  splendidly  fitted  for  the  very  purpose 
of  conveying  him  in  the  speediest,  easiest,  and  safest  manner  to* 
the  desired  port,  and  if  it   be  not  convenient  for  him  to  sail  to- 
day, he  has  the  same  choice  tomorrow,  and  every   day  in  the 
week  —-  but  thirty  years  ago,  if  he  were  not  alert  enough  to 
take  advantage  of  the  first  chance  that  offered,   he  might  not 


MEMOIR  OF    COMMODORE  BARNEY.  231 

find  another  for  a  month  afterwards,  and  even  then  be  con- 
fined to  '  Hobson's  choice.'  —  Such  in  fact  was  the  case  with 
those  who  took  passage  in  the  '  Neptune ;'  nothing  but  the  un- 
certainty of  meeting  with  another  opportunity,  in  any  definite 
term  of  delay,  could  have  induced  them  to  embark  in  a  ship 
which  held  out  so  few  promises  either  of  speed,  comfort,  or 
safety.  While  the  weather  continued  good,  however,  which  i, 
did  for  several  days  after  they  left  the  harbor,  she  fared,  as  they 
say  of  other  females  at  certain  times,  which  sooner  or  later  come 
to  most  of  them,  '  as  wrell  as  could  be  expected' —  but  when 
the  wind  began  to  blow,  and  the  sea  to  fret,  she  began  to  labor, 
and  crack,  and  leak,  as  if  her  last  hour  w7ere  come,  and  she 
were  about  to  descend  to  the  'dark,  unfathomed  caves'  of  the 
deity  whose  name  she  bore.  — A  council  of  safety  being  held 
on  the  premises,  it  was  determined  to  steer  for  the  nearest  port 
in  the  Western  Islands;  and  after  a  few  days  longer  of  very  un- 
comfortable prospects,  they  arrived  at  Fayal.  The  Commodore 
found  an  old  friend  in  the  American  consul,  through  whose  at- 
tention and  politeness  they  readily  obtained  all  the  assistance 
which  the  Island  would  afford  in  refitting  the  ship  ;  but  as  few 
of  the  requisite  articles  for  that  purpose  wrere  to  be  procured, 
they  were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with  mere  temporary 
expedients,  and  trust  again  to  the  chance  of  good  weather. 
The  truth  is,  the  ship  was  too  old  to  stand  the  slightest  shock  of 
the  sea,  and  after  being  out  a  few  days  from  Fayal,  her  diabetic 
complaint  returned  upon  her  more  copiously  than  ever,  and  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  bear  away  to  the  southward  for  the 
purpose  of  getting  into  the  trade  winds  and  the  moderate  weather 
which  generally  prevails  in  their  track.  The  passage  was  of 
of  course  necessarily  long  and  tedious,  but  rendered  still  more 
so  by  the  ignorance  and  obstinacy  of  the  captain,  who  was 
alike  unacquainted  with  navigation,  and  unwilling  to  take  advice. 
At  length,  in  September,  they  made  the  coast  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  got  soundings  a  little  to  the  south  of  Cape  Hatteras  ;  in 
this  situation,  the  captain,  being  afraid  of  approaching  too  near 
the  coast,  in  defiance  of  all  remonstrance  and  persuasion,  insist- 
ed upon  lying  to  all  night  in  the  Gulf  stream,  with  the  wind  blow- 
ing fresh  from  the  east  and  a  heavy  sea  running.  The  natural 
consequence  was,  that  before  morning,  notwithstanding  the  con- 
stant labor  at  the  pumps,  which  was  alternately  shared  by  every 
person  on  board,  the  water  had  gained  so  rapidly  upon  her, 
that  it  became  necessary  to  lighten  her.  In  this  the  passengers, 
whose  lives  were  at  a  stake,  did  not  choose  to   wait  for  the  de- 


232  KEKCIE  OF 

cision  of  the  captain,  but  commenced  at  once  by  throwing  over- 
board everything  thing  that  came  in  their  way.  All  this  how- 
ever did  not  lighten  her  sufficiently,  and  a  part  of  the  cargo 
was  doomed  to  the  same  destruction.  They  then  attempted  to 
make  for  the  land,  but  the  ship  was  still  so  deep  in  the  water 
that  she  made  but  little  head-way,  and  had  been  drifted  so  far  to 
the  eastward  by  the  current,  that  all  their  efforts  proved  unavail- 
ing. During  the  whole  of  that  and  the  succeeding  night,  the 
labor  at  the  pumps  was  without  one  moment's  intermission  ;  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  29th  September,  the  water  in  the  hold 
was  up  to  the  loiver  deck,  and  the  weather  thick  and  threatening. 
The  land  was  still  distant  from  them,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no 
hope  left,  that  they  could  keep  the  ship  afloat  long  enough  to 
reach  it. 

While  they  were  in  this  state  of  gloomy  anticipation,  the 
light  of  hope  broke  upon  them  once  more,  in  the  appearance 
of  a  small  schooner,  at  no  great  distance  from  them.  This  was 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  immediately  hoisted  sig- 
nals of  distress,  which  for  some  time  the  schooner  did  not  seem 
lo  perceive  ;  at  length,  however,  she  bore  down  within  hail,  and 
upon  being  informed  of  their  situation,  the  captain,  apparently 
with  some  reluctance,  promised  to  receive  them  on  board.  The 
sea  was  running  very  high  at  the  moment,  and  it  seemed  doubt- 
ful whether  a  small  boat  could  live  in  it ;  but  while  others  were 
hesitating  whether  to  run  the  hazard,  the  Commodore  with  the 
assistance  of  a  couple  of  the  men  hoisted  out  the  boat,  jumped 
into  her  and  pushed  off  for  the  schooner.  It  was  fortunate  for 
the  rest  of  them  that  he  did  so,  for  her  captain  seemed  so  unwill- 
ing to  remain  near  the  ship,  that  he  would  most  probably  have 
abandoned  her  to  her  fate,  but  for  the  presence  and  persuasion 
of  Barney.  In  getting  on  board  the  schooner,  he  was  thrown 
against  the  main  chains,  and  very  severely  wounded  in  the  leg ; 
but  this  did  not  prevent  his  making  every  exertion  to  save  his 
fellow  passengers  and  the  crew  of  the  sinking  ship.  He  ma- 
noeuvred the  schooner  so  as  to  keep  her  near  ;  the  small  boat  was 
sent  back  —  the  long  boat  was  hoisted  out,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  by  much  distressing  toil,  it  was  managed  to  get 
every  body  out  of  the  ship,  together  with  the  greater  part  of 
their  clothing,  and  a  small  quantity  of  provisions.  As  the  last 
individuals  left  the  ship,  the  water  was  running  into  her  cabin 
windows,  and  shortly  afterwards  she  went  down,  headforemost, 
never  to  ride  the  waves  again. 

They  were  now  in  fifteen  fathom  water  off  Currituck.     The 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  233 

schooner  which  had  so  providentially  come  to  their  rescue,  wa .-; 
very  small,  loaded  with  salt,  and  of  course  but  ill  provided  with 
accommodations  for  an  addition  of  twentyeight  souls  to  her  crew  ; 
but  even  the  necessity  of  lying  upon  deck,  in  wet  clothes,  was 
better  than  the  chance  of  safety  which  their  boats  would  have 
offered  them,  and  we  may  very  well  believe  they  did  not  regret 
the  alternative.  The  Commodore,  as  soon  as  the  bustle  and 
excitement  of  the  scene  were  over,  began  to  suffer  very 
severe  pain  from  his  leg,  which  w7as  not  only  badly  cut 
but  much  bruised ;  but  there  was  nothing  on  board  the 
schooner  to  offer  him  relief,  and  he  was  obliged  to  bear  it  with 
such  philosophy  as  the  situation  inspired.  The  next  considera- 
tion was,  how  and  where  they  were  to  find  a  port  — the  cap- 
tain of  the  schooner  was  not  one  of  the  most  accommodating  of 
his  class,  and  was  not  inclined  to  put  himself  much  out  of  his 
way  for  mere  humanity's  sake  :  he  was  but  a  day's  sail  from 
Norfolk,  and  he  agreed  to  land  them  there  for  five  hundred 
dollars !  Money  seldom  has  the  same  value  to  persons  in  the 
situation  of  the  Commodore  and  his  fellow-sufferers,  that  it  has 
in  the  eyes  of  speculators  and  traders,  and  the  latter  have  gener- 
ally an  instinct  in  finding  out  where  they  may  be  exorbitant  with- 
out risk.  The  bargain  was  struck  between  them,  and  they  steer- 
ed for  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  which  they  entered  the  next 
night;  and  on  the  1st  October  they  were  landed  at  Hampton 
—  not  desiring  to  put  the  captain  further  out  of  his  way,  than 
was  absolutely  necessary.  Their  landing  here  was,  perhaps,  a 
fortunate  circumstance,  as  they  escaped  the  hazard  of  the 
yellow  fever,  which  they  were  informed  was  prevailing  at  Nor- 
folk. The  Commodore  found  it  necessary  to  employ  a  physician 
here  to  his  wounded  limb,  which  detained  him  several  days. 
He  was  the  bearer  of  despatches  from  Mr  Livingston,  then 
our  minister  at  Paris,  for  the  President,  which  he  thought  it 
best  to  send  on  from  Hampton  by  the  first  opportunity,  rather 
than  detain  them  until  he  should  be  able  to  deliver  them  in  person, 
Having  done  this  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  the  care  of  his  wound, 
and  on  the  6th  was  able  to  get  on  board  a  packet  for  Baltimore, 
where  he  arrived  two  days  afterwards.  He  barely  took  time  to 
greet  his  family,  before  he  proceeded  to  Washington,  believing 
it  his  duty  to  wait  upon  the  President  that  he  might  give  him 
an  opportunity  of  asking  such  questions  in  relation  to  France;  as 
his  late  connexion  with  that  country  would  enable  him  to  answer 
with  propriety.  His  late  sufferings  and  fatigue  had  enfeebled 
him  too  much  to  bear  his  habitual  rapidity  of  motion — he  was' 
20* 


234 


MEMOIR  OF 


seized  with  a  fever  the  day  after  he  reached  Washington,  and 
confined  to  his  bed  for  several  days.  On  the  23d,  however,  he 
was  well  enough  to  take  his  dinner  with  Mr  Jefferson  —  who 
had  been  very  kind,  and  personally  attentive  to  him,  in  his  sick- 
ness —  and  the  next  day  he  returned  once  more  to  the  bosom 
of  his  family. 

Thus  terminated  an  absence  from  his  home  and  country  of 
more  than  eight  years.     It  could  not  properly  be  called  an  ex- 
patriation ;  for  he  had  never  for  one  moment  lost  his  affection 
for  his  native  land,  or  in  a  single  instance  swerved    from  the 
principles  which  had   led   him,    twentyseven  years  before,  to 
jeopard  all  he  had  —  his  life  —  in  defence  of  her  liberties.    To 
doubt  the  patriotism  of  one  who  had  passed  through  the  nine 
years'  ordeal  of  the  Revolution,  under  so  many  vicissitudes  of 
fortune,  unchanged  and  faithful  to  the  last,   as  Commodore 
Barney  had  done,  would  be  to  deny  that  any  such  principle  of 
action  or  motive  of  conduct  exists  in  the  human  heart;  for  we 
are  bold  to  say,  if  he  possessed  it  not,  history  is  a  fable,  and  the 
monuments  raised  to  their  country's  champions,  from  the  days 
of  Brutus  to  the  present,  record  the  dreams  of  poets  and  not 
the  actions  of  heroes.     When   Commodore  Barney  went  to 
^France,  in  1794,  he  had  not  the  most  remote  idea  of  remaining 
there  longer  than  would  be  necessary  to  accomplish  the  com- 
mercial objects  of  his  mission  ;  but  the  unexpected  and  very 
flattering  reception  which  he  met  with  from  the  National  Con- 
tention,  relumed  the  spark  of  chivalry  in   his  bosom  ;  and  to 
lis  natural  love  of  enterprise  was  added  a  feeling  of  resentment 
•at  his  recent  treatment  by  the  English,  which   determined   him 
to   seize  the  only  opportunity    he  might   have  of  retaliation. 
That  he  did  not  immediately  accept  the  appointment  so  publicly 
and  in  so  complimentary  a  manner  pressed  upon  him   by  the 
Convention,  is  an  honorable  proof  how  little  he  permitted  his 
•personal  wishes  and  feelings  to  interfere  with   the  concerns  of 
others :  he  had   undertaken  to   transact  a   certain  business  in 
'which  a  partner  had   as  much  interest   as  himself;  another 
might  have  accomplished  it,   perhaps,  with   equal  success,  but 
the   trust  had  been   reposed   in  him,  and   he  would  not   have 
neglected  it,   to  have  been  made  commander  in   chief  of  the 
.French  navy.     We  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  see,  how  differ- 
enftythe  agents  and  delegates  in  whom  he  reposed  confidence, 
acted  towards  him.  Punctilious  himself  in  the  discharge  of  every 
<?uty  he  undertook,  he   was  peculiarly  exposed  to  be  deceived 
by  others ;  for  until  woful  experience  had  taught  him  the  con- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


235 


trary,  he  never  doubted  that  every  man  who  was  received  in 
society  as  a  gentleman,  was  as  scrupulous  and  exact  in  his  no- 
tions of  honor  as  himself,  and  to  have  hesitated  in  confiding  in 
him,  he  would  have  regarded  as  little  less  insulting  than  pulling 
his  nose.  But  we  shall  have  more  to  say  on  this  subject  in  a 
little  while.  Let  us  at  present  take  a  short  retrospect  of  his 
eight  years'  services  to  France.  For  nearly  three  years  of  this 
period,  he  was  commander  in  chief  of  the  naval  forces  of  the 
Republic  in  the  West  Indies ;  and  though  his  enemy,  during 
the  whole  of  that  time,  exceeded  him  in  number  and  force, 
nearly  as  ten  to  one,  he  lost  none  of  his  ships  of  war,  and  but 
one  vessel  of  any  description  that  was  under  his  immediate  pro- 
tection. When  we  consider  how  often,  and  under  how  many 
disadvantageous  circumstances,  he  met  that  enemy,  it  is  im- 
possible to  withhold  the  acknowledgment,  that  this  fact  alone 
entitles  him  to  the  highest  degree  of  praise,  for  vigilance,  pru- 
dence, and  professional  skill.  —  To  his  generous  exertions,  and 
to  the  liberal  disbursement  of  his  own  private  funds,  not  only 
were  the  suffering  inhabitants  of  St  Domingo  indebted  for  pre- 
servation from  the  horrors  of  famine,  but  France  owed  the  re- 
tention of  her  colony.  The  French  Directory,  of  the  period, 
were  so  sensible  of  this  fact,  that  they  made  it  the  subject  of  an 
especial  communication  to  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred,  in 
which  they  acknowledge  the  obligations  of  the  nation  to  *  Cit- 
oyen  Barney, '  in  the  warmest  terms  of  eulogy.  It  was  not 
often  they  condescended  to  notice  any  but  the  most  brilliant 
military  achievements,  and  we  may  hence  infer  how  highly  they 
estimated  the  services  which  could  induce  them  thus  to  step 
beyond  their  ordinary  course.  —  We  have  already  mentioned 
more  than  once  — but  it  is  proper  it  should  be  repeated  here  — 
that  during  the  lawless  and  unprincipled  depredations  of  the 
belligerents  upon  neutral  Commerce,  which  grew  out  of  the 
British  Orders  in  Council,  when  Commodore  Barney,  in  right 
of  his  affiliation  with  the  Republic,  purchased  and  fitted  out 
sundry  vessels  to  cruise  against  the  enemy's  trade,  he  expressly 
forbade  them  to  interfere  with  American  property  —  a  prohibi- 
tion which  they  never  in  a  single  instance  infringed.  —  We  have 
seen  further,  that,  from  the  moment  in  which  actual  hostilities 
commenced  between  the  United  States  and  France,  until  long 
after  the  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded,  he  did  not  engage  in 
any  active  service  for  the  Republic  ;  having  spent  the  whole  of 
that  time  in  Paris,  in  endeavoring  to  settle  his  private  affairs.  — 
In  the  teeth  of  these  facts,  which  were  as  notorious  as  any  other 


236 


MEMOIR  OP 


incidents  of  the  French  Revolution,  his  acceptance  of  the  dis- 
tinction conferred  upon  him  by  the  French  Republic,  became 
the  fruitful  source  of  calumnies  and  slanders,  and  the  pretext 
for  quarrels,  enmities,  and  ill-will,  which  pursued  him  in  various 
forms  of  harassing  persecution  from  the  moment  of  his  return 
to  the  close  of  his  life. 

As  soon  as  the  Commodore  became  a  little  renovated  by  re- 
pose from  the  fatigues  of  his  tedious  and  disastrous  voyage, 
he  began  to  look  into  the  various  commercial  concerns  in  which 
he  had  an  interest,  and  which  he  had  for  so  many  years  entire- 
ly trusted  to  the  management  of  others.  If  he  had  met  with 
the  same  justice  from  others  which  had  regulated  all  his  own 
dealings,  it  is  very  certain  that  he  would  have  been  enabled,  on 
his  return  to  Baltimore,  to  set  himself  down  to  the  quiet  and 
peaceable  enjoyment  of  a  fortune  little  short  of  half  a  million 
of  dollars  ;  but  from  the  many  hints  we  have  already  given  of 
his  inattention  to  the  details  of  trade,  and  of  his  unlimited  confi- 
dence in  the  honesty  of  those  with  wThom  he  was  connected  in 
business,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  his  investi- 
gations ended  in  a  very  different  result.  The  old  partnership 
concern,  of  which  we  have  so  often  spoken,  was  found  to  be  en- 
tangled in  such  a  web  of  difficulties  —  owing  to  the  books 
having  been  burned  —  that  the  only  hope  of  unravelling  it 
was  in  a  resort  to  a  lawsuit. 

The  young  gentleman  whom  he  had  constituted  his  agent  at 
St  Domingo  in  1796,  and  to  whom  he  had  previously  extended 
his  friendship  in  France,  had  retired  from  the  Cape,  in  eigh- 
teen months  after  the  Commodore  established  him,  with  a  for- 
tune of  upwards  of  forty  thousand  dollars  for  himself,  but  noth- 
ing for  his  constituent !  This  is  the  more  remarkable,  as  he 
was  so  entirely  penny  less  when  he  arrived  at  the  Cape  that  but 
for  the  kindness  of  Commodore  Barney  in  advancing  money  to 
him,  he  would  have  been  without  the  means  of  procuring  a 
day's  subsistence.  He  not  only  opened  his  purse  to  him,  but 
took  him  under  his  protection  —  which  was  as  necessary  to  his 
success  as  money — introduced  him  to  his  friends,  and  placed 
in  his  hands  the  management  of  all  his  affairs,  both  public  and 
private  contracts.  The  return  of  this  young  man  to  the  United 
States  in  so  short  a  time,  with  so  handsome  a  fortune,  would 
not  be  perhaps  out  of  the  course  of  commercial  enterprise,  and 
would  scarcely  deserve  to  be  noticed  if  the  affairs  of  his  friend 
and  principal  had  prospered  in  the  same  ratio  under  his  indus- 
trious and  skilful  management.     But  the  fact  is  the  very  reverse 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  237 

—  the  affairs  entrusted  to  him  were  not  only  left  unsettled  and 
unprosperous  but  actually  sunk  into  inextricable  disorder  and 
embarrassment.  Nor  is  this  all ;  during  the  protracted  absence 
of  the  Commodore  in  France,  this  model  of  fidelity  and  grati- 
tude trumped  up  a  claim  against  him  for  services  ren- 

1803  dered,  to  an  enormous  amount,  for  which  he  demanded 
payment  of  the  Commodore's  family,  and  threatened  to 
seize  and  sell  the  house  over  their  heads  —  thus  in  return  for 
the  paternal  kindnesses  he  had  received  in  times  of  utmost  need, 
would  he  have  turned  the  wife  and  children  of  his  absent  bene- 
factor into  the  street  !  He  did  actually  institute  a  lawsuit 
against  the  maker  of  his  fortune —  his  claims  were    examined 

—  every  item  of  his  account  was  admitted  by  the  Commodore 
without  question  —  and  the  result  was  a  balance  in  favor  of  the 
agent  of  less  than  a  hundred  dollars.  How,  and  from  what 
capital,  he  had  made  for  himself  forty  thousand  dollars,  while 
he  brought  his  friend  and  constituent  in  debt,  were  inquiries 
left  to  his  own  conscience;  they  were  not  pressed  into  the  trial 
which  resulted  in  the  addition  of  some  eighty  or  ninety  dollars 
to  his  splendid  success  at  the  Cape.  And  is  it  possible,  (the 
reader  will  exclaim,)  that  this  young  man  —  who,  upon  his  mar- 
riage in  France,  was  indebted  to  the  benevolence  of  Commo- 
dore Barney  for  the  means  of  bringing  his  wife  home ;  who, 
afterwards,  upon  landing  at  Cape  Francois  without  one  dollar  in 
his  pocket,  found  the  same  friend  ready  to  relieve  his  necessi- 
ties, to  take  him  into  his  confidence,  and  to  place  him  in  the  re- 
sponsible and  lucrative  post  of  agent  for  extensive  and  important 
concerns  — could  harbor  the  idea  for  a  moment  of  turning  the 
family  of  his  benefactor  out  of  doors,  for  the  pitiful  balance  of 
eighty  or  ninety  dollars  ?  It  is  a  sorry  exhibition  of  human  na- 
ture, but  it  is  nevertheless  true.  This  man,  as  might  be  readi- 
ly anticipated,  became  one  of  the  most  inveterate  and  implaca- 
ble enemies  of  the  Commodore;  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
several  individuals  to  whom  he  had  given  contracts  for  the  sup- 
ply of  the  Cape  with  provisions,  and  protections  for  their  vessels 
against  French  privateers,  resorted  to  every  means  which  base- 
ness and  malice  could  suggest  to  calumniate  and  injure  him,  not 
only  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow-citizens  but  in  that  of  the  gen- 
eral government.  They  succeeded  but  too  well  for  a  time  in 
destroying  the  peace  and  happiness  of  their  victim  ;  but  truth 
always  sooner  or  later  prevails  against  the  most  artful  machina- 
tions, and  the  public  were  not  long  in  discovering  the  baseness 
of  the  motives  that  actuated   his  persecutors  and  calumniators. 


238 


MEMOIR  OF 


In  addition  to  these  heavy  causes  of  annoyance  and  embarrass- 
ment, the  Commodore  was  unable  to  obtain  any  satisfactory  ac- 
count of  the  expenditure,  or  waste,  of  the  large  sums  which  he 
had  at  various  times  transmitted  to  his  agent,  as  well  for  the  use 
of  his  family  as  for  investment,  and  which  had  been,  somehow 
or  other,  reduced  to  a  mere  trifle.  Thus  did  disappointment, 
chagrin,  and  perplexity,  meet  him  at  every  step  of  his  investiga- 
tion into  his  pecuniary  resources  —  instead  of  finding  himself 
master,  as  he  knew  he  ought  to  be,  of  a  splendid  independence, 
he  was  driven  to  perpetual  lawsuits  to  recover  even  the  small 
balances  that  were  acknowledged  to  be  his  due,  and  but  that  he 
had  always  retained  something  in  his  own  hands,  for  fear  of  ac- 
cidents, he  would  now  have  been  in  actual  distress  in  the  midst 
of  those  who  owed  their  fortunes  to  his  enterprise  and  his  friend- 
ship. It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  he  should  in  no  instance  of 
his  life  have  found  an  agent  faithful !  His  own  integrity  and 
singleness  of  heart,  as  we  have  already  remarked,  rendered  him 
unsuspicious  and  confident,  and  exposed  him  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner to  be  deceived  by  the  cunning  and  duplicity  of  the  dishon- 
est. His  roaming  mode  of  life,  too,  while  it  shut  him  out  from 
the  possibility  of  giving  that  degree  of  attention  which  every 
man  owes  to  his  own  affairs,  offered  opportunities  to  his  agents 
too  tempting  to  be  resisted,  and  those  who  under  other  circum- 
stances might  have  proved  faithful,  when  they  found  large  sums 
daily  coming  into  their  hands,  for  which  month  after  month  pass- 
ed without  their  being  called  to  a  reckoning,  began  at  last  to 
think  it  would  never  come  and  appropriated  them  to  their  own 
use.  That  he  should  find  his  bitterest  persecutors  in  those 
upon  whom  he  had  bestowed  most  favors,  is  no  more  than  every 
other  man  in  this  world  has  found  who  has  had  favors  to  be- 
stow ;  but  still  no  man  feels  this  dereliction  the  less  sensibly 
because  it  belongs  to  the  depravity  of  human  nature ;  and  an  hon- 
est, warm  hearted,  benevolent  sailor  feels  it  more  strongly  per- 
haps than  an  individual  of  any  other  class,  because  he  is  in  the 
habit  of  forming  hisjudgment  of  others  from  his  own  heart,  and 
the  disappointment  is  the  severer  from  being  wholly  unexpect- 
ed. —  In  the  midst  of  his  perplexities,  he  was  called  upon  to 
pay  a  debt  for  which  he  had  become  security  on  a  joint  bond 
some  fifteen  years  before,  which  swallowed  up  nearly  four  thou- 
sand dollars  of  his  reduced  funds,  and  for  which,  of  course,  he 
never  received  even  the  thanks  of  the  individual  for  whose  use 
it  was  paid. 

We  purposely  omitted  to  mention,  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY  239 

rencc,  a  fact  which  we  thought  would  be  better  brought  to  the 
reader's  attention,  on  the  return  of  the  Commodore  to  his  fam- 
ily, because  it  then  would  be  remembered,  in  refutation  of  one 
of  the  calumnies  growing  out  of  his  foreign  service.  The  read- 
er will  recollect,  that  when  Commodore  Barney  left  Paris  for 
Holland,  in  obedience  to  the  first  order  he  received  after  enter- 
ing the  French  service,  he  took  his  son  with  him  as  far  as  Dun- 
kirk, from  which  port  he  despatched  him  to  the  United  States. 
The  object  for  which  he  sent  him  home  was  to  bear  to  his  wife  the 
intelligence  of  his  having  accepted  a  commission  in  the  French 
navy,  and  the  most  earnest  entreaties  that  she  would  join  him  at 
Paris  with  all  the  family  as  early  as  possible,  where  preparation 
had  been  made  for  their  reception  before  he  left  that  city.  Mrs 
Barney,  however,  though'  this  proposition  of  the  Commo- 
dore was  ardently  seconded  by  her  son  William,  who  was  then 
in  his  fifteenth  year,  and  fully  competent  to  be  the  escort  of  the 
family,  entertained  so  unconquerable  a  horror  of  a  sea  voyage, 
that  no  entreaties  could  prevail  upon  her  to  undertake  it, 
and  the  design  was  necessarily  abandoned.  It  was  perhaps 
as  well,  as  events  turned  up,  that  she  did  not  remove  the  family 
to  Paris  ;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Commodore  was  as  little  at 
Paris  for  the  first  three  or  four  years  of  his  service  as  he  was 
at  Baltimore,  and  when  at  length  he  returned  thither  in  1798,  it 
was  with  the  design,  constantly  frustrated  from  day  to  day,  of 
retiring  from  the  service  and  rejoining  his  family  in  the  United 
States.  — This  little  explanation,  we  trust,  will  satisfy  those  of 
our  readers  who  found  cause  of  censure  in  the  apparent  readi- 
ness of  the  Commodore  to  alienate  himself  so  long  from  his 
family,  and  it  is  an  answer  to  those  of  his  enemies  who,  at  the 
moment  of  his  return,  took  pains  to  circulate  the  calumny  that 
he  was  as  destitute  of  conjugal  and  parental  affection  as  of  pat- 
riotism !  —  Yes  !  we  firmly  believe  it :  but  in  a  very  different 
sense  from  the  meaning  of  his  calumniators  ;  if  the  man  who 
never  for  an  instant  swerved  from  the  most  heroic  devotion  to  his 
country  through  the  gloomiest  period  of  her  struggles,  can  with 
truth  be  said  to  be  destitute  of  patriotism,  then  it  may  with 
equal  justice  be  affirmed  that  he  was  destitute  of  conjugal  and 
parental  affection  — but  until  the  first  can  be  established,  the 
last  must  remain  incredible.  No  man  ever  lived  with  a  heart 
more  warmly  susceptible  of  all  the  domestic  affections  than  the 
subject  of  this  narrative,  and  we  believe  that  no  man  ever  en- 
joyed in  a  higher  degree  the  love  and  devotion  of  wife  and  chil- 


240 


MEMOIR  OF 


dren  —  a  circumstance  which  would  be  altogether  unnatural 
upon  the  presumption  that  such  love  and  devotion  were  unr§- 
quited. 

In  July  of  this  year  the  Commodore  was  called  off  for  a  little 
while  from  the  troublesome  and  vexatious  investigation  of  his 
money  concerns  by  the  unexpected  visit  of  Jerome  Bonaparte, 
the  youngest  brother  of  Napoleon,  to  the  United  States.     He 
had  received  from  the  Consul  the  commission  of  Capitaine  de 
Vaisseau,  without  having,  however,  the  slightest  pretensions  to 
a  knowledge  of  its  duties,  and  had  taken  the  opportunity  of  a 
cruise  in  the  West  India  seas,   to   make  a  visit  to  Baltimore. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  friend  General  Reubel,  a  secre- 
tary, physician,  and    a  large  suite  of  attendants,  all  of  whom 
were  immediately  invited  by  the  Commodore  to  reside  with  him 
during  their  stay  in  the  city  —  an    invitation  which  was  very 
gratefully  accepted,  and  they  remained  several  weeks  to  par- 
take the  elegant  hospitality  of  his  family.     Upon  Jerome's  ex- 
pressing a  wish  to  visit  Philadelphia,  the  Commodore   gratified 
him  by  planning  an  agreeable  excursion  through  York,   Lan- 
caster, the  Springs,  and  other  fashionable  places  of  summer 
resort,  to  all  which  he  accompanied  and  introduced  him.    They 
passed  several  days  in  Philadelphia,   with   which  Jerome  pro- 
fessed to  be  very  much  pleased;  and' as  everybody  connected 
with  the  Great  Captain  was  more  or  less  i  a  lion!  in  the  United 
States,  the  Commodore  lost  no  opportunity  of  gratifying    the 
very  natural  curiosity  of  his  fellow-citizens  by  '  showing  off'  the 
young  Jerome  at  all  public  places  within  reach.  —  The  Races 
at  the  beautiful  village  of  Havre-de-Grace,  on  the  Susquehanna, 
offered  one  of  these  occasions,  and  an  immense  concourse  of 
countrymen  from  the  neighboring  counties  had  there  the  chance 
of  seeing,  wThat  subsequent  events  made  a  matter  to  talk  of 
for  the  rest  of  their  lives  —  the  future  King  of  Westphalia  — 
the  brother  of  the  greatest  man  in  the  world  !  —  A  short  time 
after  their  return  to  Baltimore,  the  Races  at  Govane's-town 
took  place,  and  there  for  the  first  time  Jerome  saw  the  beautiful 

Miss  P .      A  single  glance  was  enough  to  fire  his  heart  — 

he  had  never  seen  so  lovely  a  creature  before,  and  forgetting 
brother,  empire,  future  prospects,  and  everything  but  the 
fascinating  object  before  him,  he  insisted  upon  an  introduction 
to  her,  and  very  soon  appealed  to  the  friendship  of  the  Com- 
modore to  aid  him  in  his  matrimonial  designs.  The  Commo- 
dore very  prudently  end  firmly  remonstrated  with  him  against 


COMMODORE   BARNEY.  241 

the  folly  of  forming  an  attachment  with  any  lady  in  the  United 
States,  situated  as  he  was  —  under  age,  and  entirely  de 
1804  pendent  upon  his  brother,  who  had  no  doubt  other  views 
for  him  :  he  reminded  him  that  the  laws  of  France 
would  not  recognise  a  marriage  so  contracted,  and  that  in  the 
event  of  his  brother's  objecting  to  it,  the  innocent  and  lovely 
object  of  his  affections  would  be  torn  from  him  and  the  conse- 
quence could  not  be  otherwise  than  painful  to  all  parties.  Com 
modore  Barney  felt  it  to  be  his  further  duty  to  make  the  same 
representations  to  Miss  P and  her  family,  and  thus  in- 
stead of  assisting  Jerome  in  the  step  which  he  seemed  resolved 
upon  taking,  he  did  everything  that  strict  propriety  would  justify 
to  prevent  its  consummation.  Our  readers  need  not  be  told 
how  little  his  arguments  availed  on  either  side — the  marriage 
was  probably  delayed  by  his  interference,  but  at  length  took 
place  on  Christmas  day  1804 — the  whole  world  are  acquainted 
with  the  result. 

While  Jerome  was  thus  laying  up  for  himself  and  others  the 
fruits  of  future  regrets  and  unhappiness,  his  friend  General 
Reubel,  in  whom  there  existed  no  obstacle  to  the  surrender  of 
his  heart,  had  been  equally  fascinated  with  another  of  the  Bal- 
timore belles  —  the  daughter  of  a  French  gentleman  who  had 
come  to  this  country  from  France  immediately  after  the  Alli- 
ance, and  had  borne  his  share  of  the  dangers  and  honors  of 
our  revolutionary  struggle.  He  had  a  large  family  of  children, 
but  his  fortune  was  sufficiently  ample  to  promise  a  handsome 
portion  to  them  all.  The  addresses  of  General  Reubel  proved 
as  acceptable  to  the  father  as  they  were  to  the  daughter,  and 
he  was  made  happy  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  most  lovely 
women  that  ever  blessed  a  soldier's  suit.  —  The  historical 
reader  is  aware  that  when  Jerome  was  afterwards  made,  by  his 
Imperial  brother,  King  of  Westphalia,  General  Reubel  was 
appointed  commander  in  chief  of  the  army  of  that  kingdom ; 
and  that  upon  an  alleged  failure  to  cut  off  and  make  prisoner 
the  Duke  of  Brunswick  Oels,  suspicions  of  his  fidelity  were 
entertained  by  Napoleon,  who  instantly  ordered  his  arrest  upon 
the  charge  of  having  connived  at  the  Duke's  escape.  It  is 
believed,  that  Jerome  gave  private  notice  to  his  friend  of  this 
order,  and  thus  enabled  him  to  make  his  escape  to  England, 
where  he  waited  only  until  he  was  joined  by  his  amiable  wife, 
and  came  again  to  the  United  States.  He  found  a  warm  wel- 
come in  the  family  of  his  father-in-law,  where  he  resided  for 
several  years,  and  engaged  in  partnership  with  an  accomplished 
21 


242  MEMOIR  OF 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  now  deceased,  in  the  manufacture  of 
white  lead,  and  several  other  chemical  products,  then  for  the 
first  time  manufactured  in  Baltimore.  He  remained  thus  use- 
fully employed  until  the  change  in  the  political  condition  of  his 
native  country  induced  him  to  return  to  France.  —  General 
Reuhel  was  an  amiable  and  honorable  man  in  all  his  relations  to 
society — a  well  bred  gentleman,  a  soldier  of  the  first  order,  a. 
man  of  science  and  general  intelligence,  and  a  faithful,  estima- 
ble friend.  His  father  was  a  Fermier  General  and  possessed  a 
splendid  estate  in  Alsace.  He  never  forgave  Napoleon  for  the 
dishonorable  suspicions  which  drove  him  from  Europe,  and  in- 
deed could  not  bring  himself  to  converse  upon  the  subject  with 
any  degree  of  calmness.  His  feelings  broke  forth  whenever 
Napoleon's  name  was  mentioned  in  a  torrent  of  invective,  and 
on  these  occasions  he  would  deny  all  military  merit  whatever  to 
the  Corsican  hero,  maintaining  in  the  teeth  of  reason,  common 
sense,  and  facts,  that  his  great  reputation  had  been  the  work  of 
his  generals  unaided  by  his  own  genius  or  talents.  His  father-in- 
law,  on  the  contrary,  was  equally  warm  in  his  admiration  of 
Napoleon,  and  the  scenes  that  sometimes  occurred  between 
them  —  though  to  a  stranger  they  would  have  conveyed  the 
idea  o(  an  irreconcilable  quarrel  —  afforded  infinite  amuse- 
ment to  the  intimate  friends  of  the  family,  who  knew  the  real 
and  affectionate  respect  that  mutually  subsisted  for  "each  other. 
A  recurrence  to  the  same  theme  was  as  regular  a  custom  to  the 
old  gentleman  after  dinner  as  his  glass  of  wine,  unless  there 
happened  to  be  strangers  present,  and  then  he  was  willing  to 
forego  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  son-in-law  in  a  passion,  until 
the  circle  was  narrowed  to  the  few  who  could  enjoy  it  as  well 
as  himself,  without  misinterpreting  the  language  or  motives  of 
either. 

During  the  present  year,  the  Commodore's  luck  —  if  we  may 
so  call  it  —  in  pecuniary  matters,  began  to  take  a  favorable  turn. 
The  proceedings  of  the  Colonial  courts,  in  the  case  of  the  ship 
Sampson  and  her  cargo,  having  been  reconsidered  in  London, 
under  an  article  of  the  treaty  with  England,  were  declared  to 
have  been  illegal,  and  a  decision  was  made  by  which  the  value 
was  restored  to  the  American  owners.  The  proportion  coming 
to  him,  under  this  favorable  decision,  amounted  to  fortyjive 
thousand  dollars  ;  but  as  this  sum  was  to  be  paid  by  instalment, 
it  became  necessary,  in  order  to  make  a  final  settlement  and 
realize  at  once  all  the  advantages  of  such  a  credit  in  England, 
to  send  an  agent  thither,  and  his  third  son,  John,  was  selected 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


243 


for  this  purpose.  He  succeeded  in  the  negotiation,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  year  returned  to  Baltimore  with  merchandize  to 
the  full  amount.  Upon  his  arrival,  the  Commodore  immediately 
established  his  three  sons  in  business,  giving  to  each  one  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  in  goods  and  cash,  and  an  additional  credit  of 
ten  thousand  dollars  —  thus  making  their  joint  capital  equal  to 
fifty  five  thousand  dollars.  Few  young  men  ever  commenced 
business  with  a  more  splendid  capital,  or  under  more  favorable 
auspices  ;  but  we  regret  to  be  compelled  to  add,  that  their  com- 
mercial career  was  a  short  and  disastrous  one.  It  does  not 
belong  to  our  subject  to  inquire  into  the  causes  which  led  to 
their  failure,  but  it  is  our  duty  to  repel  the  censure  that  was  illib- 
erally cast  upon  the  father  for  this  act  of  paternal  munificence. 
We  believe  that  no  imputation  ever  rested  upon  the  integrity  of 
the  fraternal  firm,  but  whatever  may  have  been  the  source  of 
their  ill  success,  surely  a  father  cannot  be  blamed  for  placing 
confidence  in  the  characters  and  conduct  of  his  children.  He 
was  actuated  by  the  purest  feelings  of  parental  love  —  he  had 
always  exclaimed  against  the  policy  of  those  parents  who  kept 
their  sons  at  a  distance,  and  dependent,  during  their  own  lives, 
that  they  might  leave  a  large  inheritance  at  their  deaths.  He 
preferred,  and  he  made  no  secret  of  his  feelings,  to  divide  his 
fortune  while  he  lived,  that  he  might  be  regarded  as  the  friend 
of  his  children ;  and  whatever  offence  his  conduct  may  have 
given  to  other  fathers  in  whose  dread  presence  sons  are  ac- 
customed to  tremble  and  dissemble,  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  that 
the  equality  upon  which  he  placed  his  children,  and  the  famil- 
iarity with  which  he  treated  them  upon  all  occasions,  so  far  from 
lessening  their  filial  respect,  knitted  the  family  together  in  a 
bond  of  love  and  harmony  that  death  only  could  sever. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  his  sons  in  business,  he  re- 
ceived a  remittance  from  his  friend  and  agent  at  Paris,  the  late 
Paul  Bentalou,  Esquire,  of  300,000  francs  —  equal  to  fifty six 
thousand,  dollars  —  on  account  of  his  claim  against  the  French 
Government ;  so  that  if  the  sons  had  been  less  unfortunate,  he 

had  now  a  prospect  of  spending  the  rest  of  his  days  in 
1805     ease  and   happiness.     In  the  course  of  this  year,  Mr 

Jefferson  offered  him  the  superintendency  of  the  navy- 
yard,  then  recently  established  at  Washington  ;  but  some  unto- 
ward circumstances  of  the  moment  induced  him  to  decline 
what  would,  at  any  other  time,  have  been  accepted  as  an  hon- 
orable testimony  of  his  good  standing  with  the  government  of  his 
country. 


244 


MEMOIR  OP 


Tn  the  autumn  of  180G,  he  was  persuaded,  by  the  earnest 
solicitations  of  many  of  his  friends,  to  become  a  candi- 
1806  date  for  a  seat  in  the  national  legislature.  On  such  an 
occasion,  it  will  not  be  supposed  that  those  who  had 
been  laboring,  from  the  moment  of  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  to  injure  him  in  reputation  as  much  as  they  had  done  in 
fortune,  would  be  idle.  The  opportunity,  which  an  election  in 
our  l  happy  land'  affords,  for  the  fabrication  and  propagation  of 
every  species  of  slander  and  vituperation,  was  too  good  to  be 
lost  by  men  who  were  on  the  watch  for  chances  of  perpetrating 
mischief  in  a  mask  —  calumniators  have  always  an  opportunity 
during  an  electioneering  campaign,  as  it  is  not  inaptly  called, 
of  entrenching  themselves  behind  '  the  freedom  of  the  press,'  or 
hiding  their  responsibility  in  a  mob,  and  thus  securely  launching 
their  poisoned  arrows  at  the  object  of  their  enmity.  —  The  old 
calumnies  against  him  were  revived,  and  circulated  throughout 
the  district  with  the  activity  and  industry  that  belong  to  malice 
—  he  was  again  branded  with  the  epithets  of  Frenchman,  de- 
serter from  his  country,  alien  from  his  family.  In  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  where  he  was  best  known,  these  electioneering  slan- 
ders passed  for  what  they  were  —  the  creations  of  vindictive 
malignity  ;  but  in  the  county,  they  had  all  the  effect  which 
their  cowardly  propagators  anticipated.  It  is  proper  to  state, 
for  the  information  of  those  who  may  not  be  acquainted  with 
the  manner  in  which  the  State  of  Maryland  is  divided  into 
congressional  districts,  that  the  city  and  county  of  Baltimore 
form  one  district,  which  is  entitled  to  tiuo  representatives  in 
Congress.  It  was  avowedly  the  design  of  the  legislature,  and 
has  been  the  uniform  practice  of  the  district  except  in  the  case 
before  us,  to  divide  the  honors  of  representation  by  giving  one 
representative  to  the  city,  and  the  other  to  the  county,  each  un- 
derstood, as  a  matter  of  course,  to  be  respectively  a  resident 
among  his  immediate  constituents.  Commodore  Barney,  not- 
withstanding the  powerful  combination  against  him,  obtained 
a  majority  of  the  city  votes,  and  was,  in  all  fairness,  both  as  it 
regarded  the  city  and  himself,  entitled  to  a  seat  in  Congress  : 
he  was  returned  by  the  proper  authorities  as  duly  elected ;  but 
his  opponent,  Mr  McCreery,  a  resident  of  the  county,  contested 
the  election,  upon  the  ground  that  the  aggregate  of  votes  in  the 
whole  district  gave  a  majority  in  his  favor.  It  is  known,  that 
each  House  of  Congress  is,  respectively,  the  judge,  without 
appeal,  of  the  validity  of  the  elections  of  its  own  members  ; 
and  the  committee  of    elections,  in   the  House  of  Representa- 


COMMODORE    BARNEY.  245 

tives,  having  reported  in  favor  of  Mr  McCreery's  pretensions, 
this  gentleman  was  declared  by  the  House  entitled  to  the  con- 
tested seat.  One  of  the  Commodore's  most  inveterate  persecu- 
tors was  at  the  time  a  member  of  Congress,  and  to  his  influence 
and  misrepresentations  he  always  attributed  a  decision,  so  mani- 
festly at  war  with  the  laws  of  the  State  and  the  constant  usages 
of  the  district  from  which  he  claimed.  By  this  decision  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  the  city  of  Baltimore  lost  her  privi- 
lege, and  the  county  had  two  representatives.  But  there  was 
no  remedy,  and  the  Commodore  contented  himself  under  the 
wisdom  of  the  old  proverb,  that  '  what  cannot  be  cured,  must 
be  endured  !' 

Immediately  after  that  infamous  outrage  by  the  British  upon 
our  national  dignity,  which  in  the  diplomatic  phraseology 
1807  of  the  day  was  called  the '  affair  of  the  Chesapeake,'  Com- 
modore Barney,  who  it  may  be  readily  believed  felt  in  no 
common  degree  the  indignation  which  pervaded  every  class  of 
our  citizens,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States. 

4  Baltimore,  July  4th,  1807. 

1  Thomas  Jefferson, 

President  of  the  United  States. 
Sir,  —  At  a  moment  like  the  present,  I  conceive  it  the  duty 
of  every  citizen  to  step  forward  in  support  of  his  country  —  I 
therefore  beg  leave  to  make  to  you  the  tender  of  my  personal 
services.  I  shall  be  happy  to  be  employed  by  you,  in  any 
manner  which  may  be  thought  conducive  to  the  good  of  my 
country  and  the  support  of  the  administration,  and  am, 
Sir,  yours  with  respect  and  esteem, 

Joshua  Barney.' 

It  is  well  known  that  Mr  Jefferson,  though  accused  by  his 
enemies  of  the  rankest  infidelity,  nevertheless,  in  his  system 
of  policy,  evinced  a  higher  respect  for  the  precepts  of  Chris- 
tianity than  many  of  its  professed  teachers  and  expounders 
—  he  was  always  ready,  when  struck  upon  one  cheek  to  turn 
the  other,  rather  than  violate  that  principle  of  peace  with  all  the 
world,  upon  the  maintenance  of  which  he  believed  the  prosper- 
ity of  his  country  to  depend.  He  resorted  to  negotiation,  not 
to  arms,  to  seek  redress  for  the  '  affair  of  the  Chesapeake;' 
and  though  the  whole  country  was  in  a  blaze  of  patriotic  excite- 
ment at  the  audacious  insult,  he  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his 
21* 


246 


MEMOIR  OF 


way,  and  not  only  managed  to  preserve  the  peace,  but  to  satisfy 
his  enraged  fellow-citizens,  that  it  was  better  to  put  up  with  a 
little  stain  upon  their  honor  than  incur  the  hazard  of  ruining 
their  interest.  Many  of  those  who  then  did  not  hesitate  to  im- 
pute pusillanimity  to  his  motives,  have  since  done  justice  to  the 
wisdom  of  his  measures.  —  The  Commodore's  offer  of  service 
was  of  course  a  '  dead  letter.' 

In  the  winter  of  this  year  a  very  serious  and  most  extraordi- 
nary accident  occurred  to  Mrs  Barney.  She  had  been 
J  808  for  many  years  severely  afflicted  with  rheumatism,  and 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  time  had  been  entirely  con- 
fined to  her  chamber,  so  emaciated  and  enfeebled  by  constant 
suffering,  and  acute  pains  shooting  through  her  whole  system, 
that  she  was  unable  to  move  even  from  one  position  to  another 
without  assistance.  In  this  condition,  it  so  happened,  at  a  mo- 
ment when  her  attendants  were  not  near  her,  that  she  attempted 
to  walk  without  their  support,  but  at  the  first  step  fell  upon  the 
carpet,  and  fractured  the  osfcmoris !  That  the  force  of  such  a 
fall,  in  her  weak  and  attenuated  state,  should  be  sufficient  to 
fracture  one  of  the  largest  bones  in  the  body,  can  only  be  ac- 
counted for  upon  the  supposition  that  there  was  something  in 
the  nature  of  the  malady  under  which  she  suffered,  that  had 
the  effect  of  disorganizing  the  texture  of  the  bones,  and  destroy- 
ing their  firmness  and  solidity.  We  are  neither  anatomists  nor 
physiologists,  and  may  therefore  be  excused  if  we  have  regard- 
ed as  remarkable  what  in  the  experience  of  others  may  be  a 
common  occurrence.  This  accident  necessarily  added  very 
much,  for  a  time,  to  the  sufferings  of  the  patient,  but  the  bone 
soon  knit  again  and  the  limb  was  restored  to  the  same  strength 
with  its  fellow.  The  progress  of  the  general  disease,  however, 
was  unchecked,  and  the  sufferings  of  Mrs  Barney  were  without 
mitigation  or  intermission.  She  bore  her  afflictions  with  the 
quiet,  uncomplaining,  resignation  of  a  Christian,  and  this  reli- 
gious principle  alone  had  prevented  her  for  years  from  praying 
for  that  final  summons  to  repose,  which  she  now  welcomed  with 
evident  joy  and  confidence.  She  died  in  July,  in  the  fifty- 
fourth  year  of  her  age,  having  all  her  life  supported,  in  the  va- 
rious relations  of  wife,  mother,  arid  neighbor,  the  most  estima- 
ble character. 

Upon  the  coming  in  of  the  new   Administration  in  1809,  a 

few  days  after  the   inauguration  of  Mr   Madison,  the 

1809     Commodore  renewed  the  tender  of  his  services,  in  a 

letter   to  the   President,  of  which  the  following  is  a 

copy  :  — 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  247 

'Baltimore,  March  12th,  1809. 

'  Sir,  —  Immediately  after  the  affair  of  the  Chesapeake  (4th 
July)  I  wrote  to  Mr  Jefferson  making  him  a  tender  of  my  per- 
sonal services.  As  our  country  seems  yet  to  be  menaced  by 
foreign  powers,  I  still  hold  it  my  duty  to  continue  that  offer, 
which  I  now  do  to  you  as  President  of  the  United  States.  1 
do  it  the  more  cheerfully  because  I  am  not  unknown  to  you 
personally.  '  I  shall  always  feel  a  sincere  pleasure  in  contribut- 
ing my  feeble  abilities  in  any  manner  you  please  for  the  good  of 
our  country,  and  still  more  so  when  it  is  to  support  an  Admin- 
istration whose  principles  perfectly  coincide  with  my  own. 
1  am,  Sir,  with  due  respect, 

Joshua  Barney. 
'James  Madison, 

President  of  the  United  States.' 

No  stronger  proof  could  be  given  of  devoted  patriotism  and 
correct  political  principles,  than  this  repeated  offer  of  his  ser- 
vices, at  moments  when  malice  itself  would  hardly  venture  to 
attribute  it  to  selfish  motives.  He  was  easy  and  independent 
in  his  circumstances  —  the  ambition  to  acquire  a  name,  which 
might  have  actuated  him  in  his  younger  days,  had  already  been 
gratified  to  the  full —  his  achievements  had  gained  him  a  death- 
less renown  —  and  he  had  attained  a  rank  as  high  as  any  his 
country  could  give  him  in  his  profession.  What  then  could 
have  induced  him  thus  anxiously  to  seek  a  renewal  of  the  toils 
and  dangers  of  service,  but  the  purest  love  of  country  —  a  no- 
ble enthusiasm  for  the  national  honor  —  a  disinterested  regard 
for  republican  institutions.  His  country  had  been  grossly  in- 
sulted —  her  independence  had  been  violated  —  her  national 
character  outraged  and  degraded ;  and  instead  of  atoning  or 
even  apologizing  for  the  injury,  the  offending  nation  continued 
to  treat  our  pacificatory  propositions  with  scorn  and  derision. 
He  judged  of  the  feelings  of  the  government  by  his  own,  and 
never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  resort  would  be  had  to  war 
— >  in  that  he  knew  that  his  experience  might  be  useful,  and  he 
offered  his  services  with  the  frankness  and  fearlessness  of  a  ve- 
teran, without  caring  to  what  privations  or  perils  their  accep- 
tance might  lead  him.  But,  though  Mr  Madison  was  some- 
what more  disposed  than  his  predecessor  had  been  to  let  loose 
the  dogs  of  war,  still  the  influence  of  Mr  Jefferson's  policy  pre- 
vailed, and  the  country  continued  for  some  years  longer  to  bear 
the  kicks  and  cuffs  of  the  British  Lion. 


248 


MEMOIR  OF 


Some  time  in  the  course  of  the  present  year,  he  determined 
to  try  his  'luck'  once  more  in  a  commercial  enterprise,  and 
with  this  view  purchased  and  fitted  out  one  of  those  beautifully 
constructed  and  fast  sailing  schooners,  for  which  the  ships-yards 
of  Baltimore  have  been  so  long  celebrated.  Having  put  on 
board  of  her  a  cargo,  consisting  of  50,000  pounds  of  cotton, 
he  despatched  her,  under  the  care  of  his  son  John,  to  seek  a  mar- 
ket in  France.  A  disaster,  which  surperstition  might  have  re- 
garded as  ominous,  occurred  before  she  had  well  lost  sight  of 
the  coast.  Though  the  schooner  was  new  and  apparently  sound, 
a  leak  of  alarming  magnitude  showed  itself  when  she  had  been 
but  a  few  days  at  sea,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  put  back. 
The  Delaware  offering  the  nearest  harbor,  she  ran  up  to  Phil- 
adelphia, and  after  undergoing  the  necessary  overhauling  and 
repairs,  she  sailed  a  second  time,  to  encounter  a  destiny  little 
less  fatal  than  the  leak.  Arrived  within  view  of  the  entrance 
to  her  port,  she  was  captured  by  a  French  cruiser,  carried  into 
the  very  market  where  she  had  expected  to  sell  her  cargo,  and 
there  confiscated,  under  one  of  those  '  retaliatory  decrees,'  as 
Napoleon  called  them,  by  which  he  evinced  his  determination 
to  outdo  his  great  rival,  if  possible,  in  the  infamous  work  of 
destroying  neutral  commerce.  We  could  not  help  smiling  at 
the  note  which  the  Commodore  made  of  this  affair  in  his  jour- 
nal —  '  Such  was  my  ill  luck  ! '  This  was  the  only  remark  which 
the  loss  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  drew  from  him.  It  was  his 
last  commercial  speculation. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year,  he  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  a  very  charming  woman,   who  still    survives  him. 

The  respectability  of  the  vote  which  he  had  obtained  from 
his  fellow-citizens  at  the  election  of  1806,  induced  him 
1810  to  permit  his  name  to  be  again  put  up  as  a  candidate  for 
a  seat  in  the  Twelfth  Congress.  His  opponent  at  this 
time  was  Alexander  McKim,  Esquire,  an  old  and  respectable 
merchant  of  Baltimore,  who,  being  what  is  somewhat  arbitrarily 
styled  the  '  regularly  nominated  candidate,'  received  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course  the  support  of  all  that  portion  of  the  Democratic 
party,  who,  not  choosing  to  take  the  trouble  of  thinking  for 
themselves,  are  always  ready  to  follow  the  dictation  of  a  few 
self-created  leaders.  The  Commodore,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  known  as  the  '  independent  candidate,'  and  never  was  the 
term  more  truly  applied  ;  but  unfortunately,  in  electioneering 
tactics,  the  independence  of  a  candidate,  let  his  character  and 
qualifications  in  other  respects  be  what  they  may,  is  no  match 


COMMODORE  BARNEV.  249 

for  the  discipline  with  which  '  Caucuses '  and  '  Tammany  So- 
cieties,' are  wont  to  whip  in  their  members  to  thej'  regular  track.' 
His  popularity,  however,  again  triumphed  in  his  native  city,  in 
spite  of  the  renewed  slanders  of  his  dastardly  calumniators. 
The  support  which  he  received  on  this  occasion  was  the  more 
honorable,  because  it  was  known  to  come  from  the  most  re- 
spectable portion  of  the  middle  class  of  citizens,  and  from  all 
those,  indeed,  who  had  sufficient  independence  themselves  to 
admire  that  quality  in  another.  As  in  the  former  contest,  he 
received  a  majority  of  the  city  votes,  but  the  '  regular  candi- 
date' carried  the  day  in  the  county.  —  He  could  never  after- 
wards be  persuaded  to  enter  the  arena  of  electioneering. 


C  HAPTER    XVII. 


The  Declaration  of  War  finds  him  at  his  farm.  —  He  enters  once  more  into  ser- 
vice.—  Successful  cruise  of  the  '  Rossie'  under  his  command.  —  Government 
gives  him  command  of  the  Chesapeake  flotilla.  — Attempts  of  his  personal 
enemies  to  excite  the  Government  against  him. —  He  calls  his  calumniator 
to  the  field. —  He  sails  with  a  part  of  his  flotilla :  —  meets  the  enemy  at  the 
mouth  of  Patuxent :  —  skirmish  there  :  —  he  enters  the  river  and  takes  port 
in  St  Leonard's  Creek  :  —  Is  pursued  by  the  Enemy,  whose  numerous  at- 
tacks are  gallantly  repulsed:  —  battle  of  the  10th  of  June:  — gallant  exploit 
of  Major  Barney.  —  The  enemy  moor  their  ships  at  the  mouth  of  the  Creek. 
Measures  of  the  government  to  aid  the  flotilla.  —  Militia —  Regulars  —  Ma- 
rines.—  Battle  of  the  26th  of  June  ; — gallantry  of  two  young  Volunteers.  — 
The  enemy  abandon  the  Creek  and  more  off.  — The  flotilla  ascend  the  Patux- 
ent to  Bededict.  —  Curious  history  of  Wadsworth's  Battery. —  Measures  plan- 
ned for  defence  of  Washington  and  Baltimore. —  Flotilla  moved  up  to  Not- 
tingham. —  The  enemy  advances  up  the  river.  —  Barney  orders  the  flotilla  to 
be  fired,  and  marches  with  his  men  to  join  General  Winder.  —  l  Battalion  Old 
Field.'  —  The  President  and  his  Cabinet. —  Retreat  of  the  Army  to  Washing- 
ton. —  Barney  stationed  at  the  Anacostia  Bridge  :  —  prevails  on  the  President 
to  permit  him  to  draw  off  his  force  from  a  useless  service,  to  join  the  Army 
at  Bladensburg.  —  '  Battle  of  Bladensburg,'  so  called : —  panic  ot  the  Amer- 
ican troops  : — brave  stand  of  Barney's  command  :  —  gallantry  of  his  officers  : 
—  he  is  wounded,  and,  unable  to  quit  the  field,  falls  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  —  Anecdotes  of  Ross  and  Cockburn  —  Captain  Wainwright  —  Sai- 
lors and  Soldiers  —  affecting  scene  between  the  Commodore  and  one  of  his 
wounded  men.  —  He  is  carried  to  Bladensburg.  —  The  enemy  retire  from 
Washington.  —  Number  of  wounded  and  Guard  left  behind.  —  Arrival  of  the 
Commodore's  family  :  — he  is  carried  to  his  farm. 

In  May,  1812,  having  disposed  of  his  dwelling-house  in  the 
city  by  sale,  Commodore  Barney  retired  with  his  wife 
1812  — his  children  being  all  married  and  settled — to  a 
farm  in  Anne  Arundel  county,  where  it  was  his  design 
to  devote  the  remnant  of  his  life  to  the  peaceful  pursuits  of 
agriculture,  and  the  enjoyment  of  domestic  quiet ;  but  he  was 
scarcely  fixed  in  his  new  abode,  when  the  information  reached 
him  that  Congress  had,  at  last,  declared  war  against  Great  Bri- 
tain. To  content  himself  with  following  the  plough,  watching 
the  growth  of  his  corn,  or  shearing  his  merinos,  while  the  blast 
of  war  was  blowing  in  his  ears,  would  have  been  an  effort  be- 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


251 


yond  his  philosophy  —  altogether  contrary  to  his  nature  :  he  did 
not  even  allow  time  for  such  an  idea  to  suggest  itself,  but  instant- 
ly packing  up  a  few  changes  of  linen  and  other  little  comforts 
he  hurried  off  to  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  in  less  than  three 
weeks  from  the  publication  of  the  important  manifesto  by  Con- 
gress, he  was  once  more  on  the  broad  theatre  of  his  glory,  in 
command  of  an  armed  cruiser. 

So  many  volumes,  pamphlets,  and  newspaper  essays,  have 
been  given  to  the  world  within  the  last ,  half  century  on  the  sub- 
ject of  privateering,  that  we  take  it  for  granted  every  reader 
has  already  so  far  made  up  his  mind  as  to  the  justifiableness  or 
unjustifiableness  of  this  mode  of  carrying  on  war,  that  any  argu- 
ment from  us  would  be,  at  least  unavailing  if  not  unwelcome. 
We  shall  therefore  leave  the  question  to  be  settled  by  moralists, 
philosophers,  and  philanthropists,  as  they  may  respectively 
think  proper,  and  confine  ourselves  to  a  single  remark :  — 
while  privateering  is  not  only  allowed,  but  encouraged,  by  the 
constituted  authorities  of  a  nation,  it  cannot  consistently  be  stig- 
matized as  dishonorable  to  the  individuals  who  engage  in  it.  — 
Commodore  Barney  believed,  and  he  was  certainly  not  singu- 
lar in  the  opinion,  that  the  only  point  in  which  Great  Britain  was 
vulnerable  to  the  United  States,  was  in  her  commerce ;  and  as 
war  has  been  well  defined  to  be  a  state  in  which  two  nations  try 
which  can  do  the  other  the  most  harm,  it  would  seem  to  be  as 
much  the  dictate  of  patriotism  as  the  suggestion  of  sound  policy 
in  those  who  take  up  the  cause  of  their  country,  to  adopt  that 
mode  of  serving  it  by  which  they  can  most  surely  accomplish 
the  desired  object — namely,  to  bring  the  greatest  degree  of 
distress  upon  the  enemy,  with  the  least  inconvenience  to  their 
own  party.  In  every  mode  of  warfare,  it  is  the  individuals  who 
suffer  —  governments  can  feel  none  of  the  calamities  of  war  ; 
and  we  really  are  unable  to  perceiveVhy  a  commission  jo  sack 
towns,  batter  down  villages,  and  plunder  peaceable  farm-houses 
and  unoffending  granaries,  should  be  reckoned  more  honorable 
than  permission — from  the  same  authority  too — to  capture 
unarmed  vessels  and  destroy  merchandize  on  the  high  seas  : 
the  property  taken,  or  destroyed,  is  alike  private  in  both  in- 
stances, and  private  individuals  only  are  in  both  cases  the  suf- 
ferers, the  difference  being,  that,  in  the  one  case,  the  actors  are 
paid  whether  they  succeed  in  perpetrating  the  attempted  deso- 
lation or  not,  and  in  the  other,  that  remuneration  depends  upon 
success.  But  we  have  extended  our  remark  further  than  we 
intended,  and  are  unconsciously  running  into  the  argument 
we  promised  to  avoid. 


252 


MEMOIR  OF 


A  number  of  individuals  of  BaUimore  were  concerned  in  the 
privateer  called  the  Rossie  —  of  which  our  veteran  took  the'com- 
mand.  She  sailed  from  Baltimore  on  the  12th  of  July.  The  Com- 
modore had  so  entirely  devoted  himself  to  the  task  of  getting  her 
ready  for  sea  thus  expeditiously,  that  he  did  not  even  take  time  to 
look  at  the  instructions  for  his  government,  which  had  been 
drawn  up  by  a  majority  of  the  owners,  until  he  had  put  it  out 
of  his  power  to  object  to  the  extraordinary  course  marked  out 
for  his  cruise.  It  is  very  certain,  that  he  never  would  have  un- 
dertaken such  a  command,  had  he  known  that  he  was  to  be  re- 
stricted in  the  exercise  of  his  discretion,  by  the  orders  of  per- 
sons entirely  unacquainted  with  the  usual  tracks  of  the  British 
trade,  and  therefore  incompetent  to  direct  the  operations  of  a 
cruise  against  it;  but  as  he  could  not,  consistently  with  his  ideas 
of  propriety,  return  to  port,  after  the  pledge  implied  by  his  go- 
ing to  sea  in  silence,  he  resolved  to  proceed  and  do  the  best  that 
the  nature  of  his  instructions  would  permit.  —  It  would  be  te- 
dious and  uninteresting  to  follow  the  log-book  of  daily  occur- 
rences on  this  cruise  —  suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  continued  nine- 
ty days  at  sea,  during  which  time,  he  captured,  sunk,  and  other- 
wise destroyed  eighteen  sail  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  the  ton- 
nage of  which  amounted  to  three  thousand  six  hundred  and 
ninety  eight  tons  —  valued  at  upwards  of  a  million  and  a 
half  of  dollars — and  took  two  hundred  and  seventeen  prison- 
ers, by  which  he  was  enabled  to  release  that  number  of  his  im- 
prisoned countrymen.  A  few  of  his  prizes,  supposed  to  be  the 
most  valuable,  were  sent  in  to  various  parts  of  the  United 
States,  but  the  great  expense  attending  their  condemnation  and 
sale,  added  to  the  enormous  duties  which  had  been  rather  un- 
wisely imposed  by  Congress  upon  prize  goods,  so  reduced  the 
profits  that  the  gain  of  the  owners  of  the  privateer  was  in  no 
proportion  to  the  loss  of  the  enemy.  As  it  regarded  the  gen- 
eral objects  of  the  war,  however,  the  cruise  of  the  Rossie  must 
be  considered  as  eminently  successful,  for  very  few  armed  ves- 
sels of  any  sort  ever  brought  so  much  distress  upon  the  enemy 
in  so  short  a  time.  And,  whatever  may  be  said  in  the  closet, 
in  a  time  of  peace,  as  to  the  'principle  of  such  a  mode  of  war- 
fare, it  cannot  be  denied  that  it  was  the  only  one  that  brought 
Great  Britain  to  feel  the  inconveniences  of  the  war ;  and  Con- 
gress soon  discovered  the  necessity  of  encouraging  this  class  of 
adventurers  by  a  change  in  the  Tariff  of  duties,  which  allowed 
them  a  greater  profit  upon  prize  goods. — The  Rossie  had  two 
smart  actions  during  the  cruise  —  the  first,  on  the  9th  of  Au- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  ,  253 

gust,  with  the  letter  of  marque  ship  Jeannie,  mounting  twelve 
guns,  nines  and  sixes  —  (the  Rossie  had  ten  short  cannona- 
des, twelve  pounders;)  the  second,  on  the  16th  of  September* 
with  his  B.  Majesty's  packet  ship,  Princess  Amelia,  carrying 
eight  nine  pounders,  and  thirty  men.  This  ship  made  a  most 
obstinate  and  gallant  defence,  and  did  not  surrender  until  her 
captain  had  been  killed  :  the  action  lasted  nearly  an  hour  with- 
in pistol-shot  distance.  Besides  the  captain,  the  sailing-mas- 
ter and  one  man  of  the  packet  were  killed,  and  seven  wounded. 
Of  the  Rossie,  the  first  lieutenant*  and  six  men  were  wound- 
ed, but  none  killed.  The  action  occurred  by  moonlight, 
which  gave  great  advantage  to  the  packet,  as  she  was  construct- 
ed with  fine  quarters,  under  cover  of  which  her  men  could  not 
be  distinguished  by  the  musketry  of  the  Rossie,  while  those  of 
the  latter,  having  no  bulwarks  whatever  to  protect  them,  were 
exposed  to  every  shot. 

After  his  return  to  Baltimore,  numerous  offers  were  made  to 
induce  him  to  engage  in  another  cruise,  but  as  Congress  had 
not  yet  seen  the  error  of  their  policy  in  relation  to  the  duties, 
and  there  was  really  no  adequate  motive  to  encounter  the  priva- 
tions and  discomforts  of  the  small  vessels  then  employed  as 
privateers,  he  declined  going  out  a  second  time,  and  occupied 
himself  in  settling  accounts  with  the  different  owners  and  crew 
of  the  Rossie. 

In  the  summer  of  1813,  being  called  to  Newport,  in  Rhode 
Island,  on  business  relating  to  the  sale  of  one  his  prizes, 
1813  which  had  been  sent  into  that  port,  he  received,  while 
there,  a  letter  from  the  Navy  Department,  offering  him 
the  command  of  the  Flotilla,  to  be  fitted  out  at  Baltimore  for 
the  defence  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  its  tributary  waters. 
This  induced  him  to  hurry  home  as  speedily  as  possible,  and 
proceed  to  Washington,  that  he  might  learn  more  at  large  the 
nature  of  the  service  expected  from  him.  He  found  that  it 
was  to  be  a  separate  command,  unconnected  with  the  navy,  and 
subjecting  him  only  to  the  direct  orders  of  the  government  — 
such  a  command  as  he  might  honorably  accept  without  giving 
up  his  independence.  But  the  news  of  his  appointment  had 
by  some  means  or  other  become  known  in  Baltimore,  even 
before  he  had  himself  received  the  offer,  and  had  excited 
against  him  his  old  and  implacable  enemies  of  sixteen  years' 
standing,  who  immediately  set  themselves  at  work  to  instil  their 
own  prejudices  into  the  government.     For  this  purpose  they 

*  Mr  Long,  who  soon   afterwards  died  of  his   wounds,  very  sincerely  la- 
mented. 

22 


254  MEMOIR  OF 

made  use  of  an  individual  in  Baltimore,  a  merchant  of  high 
standing,  upon  whom  they  prevailed  to  address  a  letter  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  which  the  character  of  the  Commo- 
dore was  traduced  in  the  basest  manner.  When  he  reached 
Washington,  Mr  Jones,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  conceived 
it  to  be  his  duty  as  a  man  of  honor,  to  place  this  letter  in  his 
hands,  or  at  least  to  make  him  acquainted  with  its  purport,  and 
its  writer.  We  will  not  undertake  to  dispute  the  Secretary's 
notions  of  the  obligations  of  'honor,'  but  surely  if  he  had  re- 
flected upon  the  possible  consequences  to  which  his  disclosure 
of  the  name  of  his  correspondent  might  lead,  he  would  have 
hesitated  before  he  decided  upon  such  a  step.  To  say  that 
Commodore  Barney  was  surprised,  when  he  learned  the  name 
of  his  accuser,  would  be  perhaps  to  acknowledge  that  he 
had  gained  but  little  wisdom  by  former  experience  ;  but  it 
was  certainly  one  of  the  last  sources  from  which  he  would 
have  expected  an  interference  of  such  a  nature.  The  writer 
had  been  indebted  to  him  for  many  acts  of  kindness  and 
friendship  —  he  had  been  in  France,  sick,  and  a  stranger  ; 
and  there  the  Commodore  had  nursed  him,  attended  to 
him  with  the  sedulity  and  affection  of  a  brother,  and  had 
lent  him  a  large  sum  of  money  :  but  all  this  was  forgotten  ;  he 
suffered  himself  to  become  the  tool  of  others,  and  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  demon  of  ingratitude  wrote  the  letter  we  have 
mentioned  to  the  Secretary.  It  was  impossible,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, for  the  Commodore  to  avoid  calling  upon  his  ac- 
cuser for  explanation,  and  the  result  was  a  meeting  between 
them,  at  which  the  latter  received  a  ball  in  his  breast;  fortunately 
the  w7ound  was  not  mortal,  and  the  gentlemen  survived  it  Jong 
enough  to  repent,  we  sincerely  hope,  of  the  unworthy  part  he 
had  been  duped  to  play.  —  We  would  not,  on  any  account,  be 
thought  to  approve  the  practice  of  duelling  from  our  notice  of 
this  affair — we  believe  that  in  ninetynine  of  every  hundred 
cases  that  occur,  both  parties  are  equally  culpable,  and  find 
upon  investigation  that  they  had  really  no  cause  of  quarrel ; 
but  it  sometimes  happens,  that  there  is  no  other  way  of  satisfy- 
ing one's  own  sense  of  duty,  or  retaining  the  good  opinion  of 
the  world.  If  all  men  were  Christians,  then  we  grant,  the  cus- 
tom would  be  '  more  honored  in  the  breach  than  the  observ- 
ance ;'  but  it  will  be  vain  to  appeal  to  the  christian  morality, 
while  more  than  nine  tenths  of  every  community  regard  the 
title  as  a  mere  nominal  distinction  bestowed  in  virtue  of  the 
ceremony  of  baptism ;  —  while  the  '  code  of  honor,'  is  every- 
where looked  upon  as  more  binding  than  the  '  laws  of  the  land,' 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


255 


the  ministers  of  which  are  visible  and  palpable  to  our  senses, 
how  can  we  expect  that  it  will  be  made  to  give  way  to  the 
laws  of  God  ?  No  !  there  is  nothing  short  of  the  universal  preva- 
lance  of  the  christian  spirit,  that  can  abrogate  the  'code  of  honor,' 
and  as  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  that  spirit  can  be  uni- 
versal, until  the  appointed  time  when  Christ  shall  come 
again  to  judge  the  world,  so  there  is  no  hope  that  any  human 
laws  will  ever  restrain  the  custom  of  settling  quarrels  by  rao- 
nomachy. 

The  task  of  preparing,  fitting  out,  and  manning  his  gunboats 
and  barges  occupied  Commodore  Barney  all  the  remaining 
part  of  the  summer  and  open  weather  of  the  autumn  after  his 
appointment;  and  it  was  not  until  April,  1814,  that  he  found 
himself  ready  to  commence  operations.  At  this  period  he  had 
under  his  command  twentysix  gunboats  and  barges,  and  about 
nine  hundred  men,  well  officered  by  the  principal  ship-masters 
and  mates  of  the  port  of  Baltimore.  He  thought  it  neces- 
sary, before  he  would  venture  any  important  expedition,  to  try 
the  efficiency  of  this  force  by  manoeuvring  both  vessels  and 
men,  that  he  might  ascertain  exactly  the  degree  of  reliance  to 
be  placed  upon  the  competency  of  both  for  the  service  requir- 
ed. With  this  view  he  proceeded  with  a  portion  of  them  some 
distance  down  the  Bay,  where  with  his  habit  of  close  and  keen 
observation,  he  soon  discovered  that  several  important  altera- 
tions would  be  necessary  in  the  equipment  of  some  of  the 
boats,  and  returned  to  Baltimore  for  the  purpose  of  having 
these  alterations  effected.  In  the  latter  end  of  May  he  moved 
with  sixteen  of  his  vessels  down  the  Chesapeake,  with  the  in- 
tention of  attacking  Tangier  Island,  of  which  the  enemy  had 
taken  possession,  and  upon  which  they  had  established  a 
negro  encampment.  On  the  1st  of  June,  a  little  below  the 
mouth  of  Patuxent,  he  discovered  two  of  the  enemy's  schoon- 
ers and  several  barges,  to  which  he  gave  chase  :  but  at  the 
moment  when  he  flattered  himself  they  were  within  his  grasp, 
the  Dragon,  seventyfour  gun  ship,  came  up  to  their  rescue,  and 
he  was  compelled  in  his  turn  to  retreat.  He  was  closely  pur- 
sued by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy,  and  before  he  reached 
the  Patuxent,  one  of  the  schooners,  mounting  eighteen  guns, 
and  several  of  the  barges,  had  approached  within  gunshot  of 
his  flotilla  —  the  Dragon  being  still  at  a  distance,  he  made  the 
signal  for  action,  and  a  fire  was  opened  from  all  the  flotilla, 
which  in  a  few  minutes  compelled  the  enemy  to  seek  protec- 
tion under  the  battery  of  the  seventyfour ;  having  thus  driven 
them  from  his  heels,  he  entered  the  river  in  safety,  and  the 


256 


MEMOIR  OP 


Dragon  and  her  attendants  took  post  at  its  mouth.  On  the  7th  the 
blockading  squadron  was  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  a  frigate 
and  sloop  of  war,  and  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  move  the  flotilla 
up  the  river  as  far  as  St  Leonard's  creek.  The  wisdom  of 
this  measure  was  very  soon  apparent,  for  on  the  following  day, 
the  8th,  the  enemy's  frigate,  brig,  and  schooners  entered  the  river, 
and  advanced  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  but  being  unable  to 
proceed  further,  they  manned  a  number  of  barges  and  sent 
them  to  the  attack  of  the  flotilla.  The  barges,  however,  being 
armed  with  rockets,  which  they  were  able  to  throw  to  a  much 
greater  distance  than  the  shot  of  the  flotilla  would  reach,  show- 
ed no  disposition  to  come  to  closer  quarters,  and  the  Commo- 
dore put  his  force  in  motion  that  he  might  approach  the  enemy 
within  the  power  of  his  guns  :  but  they  retired  as  he  advanced, 
until  they  gained  the  cover  of  their  ships.  A  second  attempt 
with  a  still  larger  force,  was  made  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day,  and  with  the  like  result  —  the  enemy's  barges  were  again 
driven  to  the  protection  of  their  ships.  On  the  9th  they  re- 
newed the  attack,  and  were  a  third  time  driven  to  seek  refuge 
under  their  larger  batteries  ;  but  all  these  various  demonstra- 
tions were  but  experiments  of  the  enemy,  to  exercise  their 
men,  and  prepare  them  for  the  '  grand  attack,'  which  was  made 
on  the  10th  with  a  force  sufficient,  as  they  no  doubt  believed, 
to  insure  them  an  easy  victory.  Twentyone  barges,  one  rocket 
boat,  and  two  schooners,  each  mounting  two  thirtytwo  pound- 
ers, with  eight  hundred  men,  entered  the  creek  with  colors  fly- 
ing, and  music  sounding  its  animating  strains,  and  moved  on 
with  the  proud  confidence  of  superiority.  Barney's  force  con- 
sisted of  thirteen  barges,  and^re  hundred  men  —  his  sloop  and 
two  gun  vessels  being  left  at  anchor  above  him,  as  unmanage- 
able in  the  shoal  water  —  but  he  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  to 
accept  the  challenge  offered,  and  gave  the  signal  to  meet  the 
enemy,  as  soon  as  they  had  entered  the  creek.  They  com- 
menced the  attack  with  their  schooners  and  rockets,  and  in  a 
kw  minutes  every  boat  was  engaged ;  the  commodore  in  his 
barge  with  twenty  men,  and  his  son,  Major  William  B.  Barney 
—  who,  in  a  small  boat,  acted  as  his  aid  on  the  occasion  —  were 
seen  rowing  about  everywhere  in  the  most  exposed  situations, 
giving  the  necessary  orders  to  the  flotilla  ;  the  action  was  kept 
up  for  some  time  with  equal  vigor  and  gallantry,  but  at  length 
the  enemy,  struck  with  sudden  confusion,  began  to  give  way,  and 
turning  their  prows,  exerted  all  their  force  to  regain  the  covering 
ships,  They  were  pursued  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek  by  the 
flotilla  with  all  the  eagerness  of  assured  victory ;  but  here  lay 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


257 


the  schooner  of  eighteen  guns,  beyond  which  it  was  impossible 
to  pass  without  first  silencing  her  battery,  and  for  this  purpose 
the  whole  fire  of  the  flotilla  was  directed  at  her  — she  made  an 
attempt  to  get  out  of  the  creek,  and  succeeded  so  far  as  to  gain 
the  protection  of  the  frigate  and  sloop  of  war,  but  so  cut  to 
pieces,  that,  to  prevent  her  sinking,  she  was  run  aground  and 
abandoned.  The  two  larger  vessels  now  opened  a  tremendous 
fire  upon  our  gallant  little  flotilla,  during  which  they  threw  not 
less  than  seven  hundred  shot,  but  without  doing  much  injury  : 
the  flying  barges  of  the  enemy  having  thus  succeeded  in  recov- 
ering their  safe  position  under  the  heavy  batteries  of  the  ships, 
the  flotilla  was  drawn  off,  and  returned  to  its  former  station 
up  the  creek. 

That  the  enemy  suffered  severely  in  this  engagement,  was 
too  manifest  to  be  denied,  even  if  their  own  subsequent  con- 
duct had  not  clearly  proved  the  fact.  Several  of  their  boats 
were  entirely  cut  to  pieces,  and  both  schooners  were  so  damag- 
ed as  to  render  them  unserviceable  during  the  remainder  of  the 
blockade  —  they  had  a  number  of  men  killed,  and  we  have 
learned  from  an  eye  witness  of  the  fact,  that  the  hospital  rooms 
of  the  flag  ship,  were  long  afterwards  crowded  with  the  wound- 
ed in  this  engagement.  On  the  part  of  the  flotilla,  not  a  man 
was  lost  —  one  of  the  barges  was  sunk  by  a  shot  from  the  ene- 
my, but  she  was  taken  up  again  on  the  very  day  of  the  action, 
and  two  days  afterwards  was  as  ready  as  ever  for  service. 

On  the  first  day  of  these  repeated  attacks,  an  incident  oc- 
curred which  is  well  worthy  of  being  recorded.  —  One  of  the 
enemy's  rockets  fell  on  board  one  of  our  barges,  and,  after 
■passing  through  one  of  the  men,  set  the  barge  on  fire  —  a  bar- 
rel of  powder,  and  another  of  musket  cartridges,  caught  fire 
and  exploded,  by  which  several  of  the  men  were  blown  into  the 
water,  and  one  man  very  severely  burned  — -  his  face,  hands, 
and  every  uncovered  part  of  his  body,  being  perfectly  crisped. 
The  magazines  were  both  on  fire,  and  the  commander  of  the 
boat,  with  his  officers  and  crew,  believing  that  she  must  inevi- 
tably blow  up,  abandoned  her,  and  sought  safety  among  the 
other  barges.  At  this  moment,  Major  Barney,  who  command- 
ed the  cutter  '  Scorpion,'  and  whose  activity  and  intrepidity 
as  aid  to  the  Commodore  in  the  last  day's  action  we  have  al- 
ready noticed,  hailed  his  father  and  asked  his  permission  to 
take  charge  of  the  burning  boat  —  the  Commodore  had  already 
ordered  an  officer  upon  that  duty,  but  as  his  son  volunteered  to 
perform  it,  he  recalled  his  order  and  gave  him  the  permission 
solicited.  Major  Barney  immediately  put  himself  on  board, 
22* 


258  MEMOIR  OF 

and  by  dint  of  active  labor  in  bailing  water  into  the  boat 
and  rocking  her  constantly  from  side  to  side,  he  very  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  out  the  fire  and  saving  the  boat,  to  the  very 
great  delight,  as  well  as  astonishment  of  the  Commodore,  who 
acknowledged  afterwards  that  he  considered  the  duty  as  a  sort 
of  'forlorn  hope'* 

After  the  severe  chastisement  inflicted  upon  them  for  their 
last  attempt,  the  enemy  made  no  further  effort  to  disturb  the 
tranquillity  of  the  flotilla,  but  contented  themselves  with  convert- 
ing the  siege  into  a  blockade,  by  mooring  in  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  where  they  were  soon  reinforced  by  another  frigate. 
Having  come  to  this  resolution,  they  turned  their  attention  to  the 
plunder  of  the  surrounding  country,  in  which  frequent  exper 
rience  had  given  them  an  unenviable  expertness.  Tobacco, 
slaves,  farm  stock  of  all  kinds,  and  household  furniture,  became 
the  objects  of  their  daily  enterprises,  and  possession  of  them  in 
large  quantities  was  the  reward  of  their  honorable  achievements. 
What  they  could  not  conveniently  carry  away,  they  destroyed 
by  burning.  Unarmed,  unoffending  citizens  were  taken  from 
their  very  beds  —  sometimes  with  beds  and  all  —  and  carried  on 
board  their  ships,  from  which  many  of  them  wrere  not  released 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  despatched 
a  hundred  marines,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Samuel 
Miller,  with  three  pieces  of  cannon,  to  the  assistance  of  Com- 
modore Barney.  The  Secretary  of  War  also  sent  Colonel 
Wadsworth,  with  two  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  and  ordered 
about  six  hundred  of  the  regular  troops  to  be  marched  to  St 
Leonard's  Creek  for  the  same  purpose.  The  militia  of  Cal- 
vert County  had  been  already  called  out,  but  like  most  other 
troops  of  that  class,  they  were  to  be  seen  everywhere  but  just 
where  they  were  wanted  —  whenever  the  enemy  appeared,  they 
disappeared  ;  and  their  commander  was  never  able  to  bring 
them  into  action.     There  was  one  officer  among  them,  Major 

*  Posterity  will  hardly  credit  the  fact,  that  the  individual  who  thus  dis- 
tinguished himself,  was  the  same  Major  William  B.  Barney,  who  was  af- 
terwards (in  1829)  rudely  ejected  from  an  honorable  office,  which  had  been 
bestowed  upon  him  by  his  country  as  a  reward  for  this  and  many  other  actf 
of  gallantry  during  the  war  —  in  which  office  he  had  succeeded  his  gallant 
father,  and  of  which  his  administration,  had  been  without  reproach  —  by  a 
Military  President,  to  make  way  for  a  political  parasite  and  minion,  under 
the  abused  name  of  •  Reform  !  '  —  It  is  a  remarkable  trait  in  the  character  of 
this  Military  President,  that,  after  he  became  himself  the  minion  of  popu- 
lar fanaticism,  he  could  never  bear  to  hear  of  any  act  of  heroism  in  anoth- 
er —  he  was  restlessly  jealous,  even  of  the  humblest  individual  who  had 
gained  a  reputation  for  gallantry  in  battle  :  Did  this  arise  from  a  conscious 
ness  that  his  own  fame  was  without  a  solid  basis. ! 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  259 

Johns,  who  deserved  to  be  better  supported  —  he  appeared  to 
be  active  and  gallant,  and  labored  hard  to  inspirit  his  men,  but 
without  success  :  they  rendered  no  assistance  whatever  to  the 
flotilla,  nor  did  they  even  attempt  to  defend  their  own  houses 
and  plantations  from  pillage  and  conflagration.  The  conduct  of 
the  38th  regiment,  under  Colonel  Carberry,  was  unfortunately 
but  little  more  worthy  of  praise  than  that  of  the  militia  :  though 
several  of  its  officers  were  well  disposed  to  meet  the  enemy 
upon  any  terms,  the  men  had  neither  discipline  nor  subordina- 
tion, and  receiving  no  check  from  their  commanding  officer  in 
their  irregularities,  gave  themselves  up  to  disgraceful  inaction, 
so  that  the  presence  of  this  regiment  added  nothing  to  the 
effective  force  of  the  Commodore. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Wadsworth,  on  the  24th  of  June, 
a  consultation  was  held  between  him  and  the  Commodore,  to 
which  Captain  Miller  of  the  Marines  was  invited  ;  it  was  deci- 
ded by  these  officers,  that  a  battery  and  furnace  should  be  erect- 
ed on  the  commanding  height  near  the  mouth  of  the  Creek, 
upon  which  the  Colonel's  two  eighteen  pounders  should  be  pla- 
ced, and  that,  on  the  26th  before  daylight,  a  simultaneous  attack 
should  be  made  by  the  flotilla  and  battery  upon  the  blockading 
ships.  The  Commodore  placed  one  of  his  best  officers,  Mr 
Groghegan,  (a  sailing  master)  and  twenty  picked  men,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Wadsworth,  for  the  purpose  of  work- 
ing his  two  guns.  Everything  was  now  bustle  and  active  pre- 
paration in  the  flotilla  ;  the  men  were  in  high  spirits,  all  looking 
impatiently  to  the  26th  as  a  day  of  victory  and  triumph.  On 
the  evening  of  the  25th  after  dark,  the  Commodore  moved  with 
his  flotilla  down  the  creek,  that  he  might  be  near  the  enemy  at 
the  appointed  hour  next  morning.  He  divided  his  boats  into 
three  divisions,  each  under  its  separate  chief,  and  a  distinctive 
broad  flag  —  his  own  was  the  red,  that  of  his  first  officer,  Mr 
Rutter,  the  white  —  the  third,  blue,  under  his  second  officer, 
Mr  Frazier  :  both  these  officers  were  old  and  experienced  ship 
masters,  as  indeed  were  many  others  in  the  flotilla.  In  this  or- 
der they  moved  to  the  scene  of  action :  and  at  early  dawn  of 
the  2Gth  they  were  gratified  and  cheered  by  the  sound  of  the 
guns  from  the  opening  battery  on  the  height  —  the  barges  now 
seemed  to  fly  under  the  rapid  strokes  of  the  oar,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  reached  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  where  they  assumed 
the  line  of  battle,  and  opened  their  fire  upon  the  moored  ships. 
Their  position  was  eminently  critical  and  hazardous,  but  this  in 
the  view  of  the  gallant  souls  on  board  only  rendered  it  the  more 
honorable.     They  were  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the  ene- 

% 


260 


MEMOIR   OF 


my  -j  and  the  mouth  of  the  Creek  was  so  narrow  as  to  admit 
no  more  than  eight  barges  abreast,  to  use  their  guns  —  the  men 
were  wholly  unprotected  by  any  species  of  bulwark,  and  the 
grape  and  cannister  shot  of  the  enemy,  which  was  poured  upon 
them  in  ceaseless  showers,  kept  the  water  around  them  in  a  con- 
tinual foam.  It  was  a  scene  to  appal  the  inexperienced  and 
the  faint  hearted ;  but  there  were  few  of  these  among  the  dar- 
ing spirits  of  the  flotilla.  In  this  situation,  the  firing  was  kept 
up  on  all  sides  for  nearly  an  hour  ;  the  Commodore  was  then 
surprised  and  mortified  to  observe  that  not  a  single  shot  from 
the  battery  fell  with  assisting  effect,  and  that  the  whole  fire  of 
the  enemy  was  directed  against  his  boats :  shortly  afterwards 
the  battery,  from  which  so  much  had  been  expected,  became 
silent  altogether,  and  the  barges  were  hauled  off  as  a  matter  of 
consequent  necessity,  for  it  would  have  been  an  act  of  mad- 
ness in  such  a  force,  unassisted,  to  contend  against  two  frigates, 
a  brig,  two  schooners,  and  a  number  of  barges,  in  themselves 
equal  to  the  force  that  could  be  brought  into  action  from  the 
flotilla.  Three  of  our  barges,  under  the  respective  commands 
of  sailing  masters,  Worthington,  Kiddall,  and  Sellars,  suffered 
very  much  in  the  action,  and  ten  of  their  men  were  killed  and 
wounded. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  flotilla  had  retired,  it  was  perceived 
that  the  enemy's  frigates  were  in  motion,  and  in  a  little  time  the 
whole  blockading  squadron  got  under  way  and  stood  down  the 
river.  —  One  of  the  frigates,  it  was  observed,  had  four  pumps 
constantly  at  work !  This  movement  on  the  part  of  the  enemy 
spoke  pretty  plainly  their  opinion  of  '  Barney's  Flotilla : '  it 
was  very  evident  that  they  had  seen  quite  as  much  of  him  as 
they  desired  to  see.  The  way  being  thus  unexpectedly  opened 
to  him,  the  Commodore  immediately  left  the  Creek,  and  moved 
up  the  Patuxent  River. 

A  day  or  two  before  this  expulsion  of  the  enemy,  two  young 
gentlemen,  from  Washington  City,  presented  themselves  before 
the  Commodore,  and  volunteered  their  services  in  any  capacity 
he  might  please  to  employ  them.  Upon  hearing  their  names, 
and  finding  that  they  had  left  home  without  the  consent  or 
knowledge  of  their  friends,  prompted  by  an  irrepressible  and 
chivalric  spirit  of  youthful  patriotism,  he  kept  them  on  board 
of  his  own  boat  under  his  immediate  eye;  he  watched  them 
closely  throughout  the  action  that  succeeded,  and  was  gratified 
to  observe,  that  they  behaved  with  a  coolness  and  intrepidity, 
which  would  have  done  honor  to  much  older  soldiers.  These 
young  gentlemen,  were  Mr  T.  Blake,  and  Mr  T.  P.  Andrews 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  261 

—  the  former  lately  a  member  of  Congress  from  Indiana,  and 
the  latter  now  a  Paymaster  in  the  United  States  Army.  # 

On  the  night  after  the  engagement  the  flotilla  was  anchored 
opposite  the  town  of  Benedict,  on  the  Patuxent.  As  they 
were  movingup  the  River,  Captain  Miller  of  the  Marines  went 
on  board  the  Commodore's  boat,  and  gave  him  the  first  informa- 
tion he  had  received  from  the  ineffective  battery  —  except  to 
some  of  his  own  men,  the  guns  there  had  done  no  mischief, 
and  there  was  evidently  bad  management  somewhere ;  but  he 
had  shortly  afterwards  a  full  report  from  Mr  Groghegan,  who 
commanded  the  guns  —  from  this  he  ascertained  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  that  the  fault  was  not  in  his  officer  or  men.  It 
appears,  that  Mr  Groghegan,  on  the  evening  of  the  25th  waited 
upon  Colonel  Wadsworth,  to  receive  instructions  as  to  the 
place  where  the  two  guns  were  to  be  stationed ;  the  Colonel 
replied  to  his  inquiry  in  these  words :  '  As  you  are  to  command 
and  fight  them,  place  them  where  you  please  ! '  The  officer 
immediately  set  to  work  with  his  men,  and  began  to  construct 
his  battery,  exactly  upon  the  spot  where  it  unquestionably  ought 
to  have  been,  the  summit  of  the  hill  which  completely  com- 
manded the  ships  —  he  continued  at  work  all  night  and  had 
nearly  finished  his  platform,  when  about  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning  Colonel  Wadsworth,  came  upon  the  ground,  and  after 
examining  the  work,  declared  '  that,  his  guns  should  not  be  put 
there  —  that  they  would  be  too  much  exposed  to  the  enemy  ! '{ — 
having  given  this  as  his  only  argument,  he  ordered  a  platform  to 
be  made  in  the  rear  of  the  summit  ;  as  there  could  be  no  dis- 
puting his  orders,  he  was  obeyed  of  course,  and  the  conse- 
quence was,  that  the  guns,  being  placed  on  the  declivity,  must 
either  be  fired  directly  into  the  hill,  or  be  elevated,  after  the 
the  manner  of  bombs,  so  high  in  the  air  as  to  preclude  the  pos- 
sibility of  all  aim,  and  render  them  utterly  useless.  At  the  very 
first  fire,  the  guns  recoiled  half  way  down  the  hill,  and  in  this 
situation  they  continued  to  be  fired  in  the  air,  at  random,  until 
the  Colonel  gave  orders  to  have  them  spiked,  and  abandoned ! 
There  was  certainly  a  mystery  in  the  conduct  of  this  officer, 
on  that  occasion,  which  has  never  been  solved  :  he  was  uni- 
versally reputed  to  be  not  only  scientific  but  brave.  The  guns 
were  served  with  hot  shot,  and  in  loading  one  of  them  rather  too 
carelessly  she  was  accidentally  discharged  before  the  servers 
had  got  out  of  the  way,  and  thus  two  of  the  men  were  severely 
wounded.  — This  is  the  substance  of  the  official  report  made 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  VII. 


262 


MEMOIR  OF 


to  the  Commodore  by  his  officer,  and  we  have  no  doubt  of  its 
correctness. 

He  speaks  of  the  officers  of  his  flotilla,  particularly  of  his 
Srst  and  second  lieutenants  already  named,  in  the  highest  terms 
of  praise,  and  adds,  that  he  '  had  but  little  reason  to  complain 
of  any  officer  whatever  ;  never  did  men  behave  better,  or  with 
more  subordination,  bravery,  or  coolness.'  Praise  from  an 
officer  so  universally  distinguished  for  his  own  intrepidity  in 
battle,  is  worth  having. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  he  received  a  letter  from  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  requesting  his  presence  at  the  seat  of  government, 
which  he  immediately  obeyed.  On  his  arrival  there,  the  sub- 
jects of  consultation,  on  which  his  views  were  required,  were 
the  situation  of  the  flotilla,  the  probable  intentions  of  the  enemy, 
and  the  measures  necessary  to  be  taken  by  the  government  for 
die  protection  of  Washington  and  Baltimore.  The  result  of 
their  deliberations  was,  that  he  should  keep  his  thirteen  barges 
and  sloop  Scorpion,  with  five  hundred  men,  in  the  Patuxent, 
and  that  his  first  lieutenant,  Mr  Rutter,  should  be  despatched  to 
Baltimore  to  take  command  of  the  fourteen  barges  and  five 
hundred  men  remaining  there ;  so  that,  in  the  event  of  an 
attack  on  either  city,  they  could  march  respectively  to  the 
assistance  of  each  other.  He  returned  to  his  command,  as 
soon  as  this  decision  was  made  known  to  him,  having  been 
absent  only  two  days,  and  immediately  despatched  Mr  Rutter 
to  Baltimore.  After  this,  to  place  himself  more  conveniently 
within  reach  of  either  city  in  the  event  of  invasion,  he  moved 
his  flotilla  up  to  Nottingham,  a  small  village  on  the  Patuxent, 
about  forty  miles  from  Washington.  Here  he  found  the  in- 
habitants in  a  state  of  great  alarm,  and  everything  in  confusion 
—  the  militia,  to  use  his  own  expressive  terms,  {  were  here  and 
there,  but  never  where  the  enemy  ivas.J  General  Winder, 
who  commanded  the  army  destined  for  the  defence  of  the  two 
Important  cities,  came  to  Nottingham  soon  afterwards  and  held 
a  short  consultation  with  the  veteran,  upon  some  unimportant 
points,  but  disclosed  nothing  of  his  own  plans  or  views.  Thus 
things  remained,  until  about  the  16th  of  August,  when  two  of 
the  officers  whom  he  had  stationed  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
for  the  purpose  of  watching  the  motions  of  the  enemy,  arrived 
with  information  that  a  fleet  had  entered  the  Patuxent,  and  were 
standing  up  the  river.  He  despatched  an  express,  without  a 
moment's  delay,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  to  communicate 
"his  intelligence,  and  in  return  received  orders  to  retire  with  his 
flotilla  as  high  up  the  river  as  he  could  get,  and,  if  the  enemy 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  263 

landed,  to  set  fire  to  the  boats,  and  join  General  Winder  with 
his  men. 

We  confess,  that  we  approach  the  portion  of  our  subject 
which  is  now  coming,  with  feelings  very  unlike  those  of  pride 
of  country.  The  very  name  of  Bladensburg  creates  a  sort 
of  revulsion,  which  draws  all  the  humors  of  the  body  into  the 
region  of  the  spleen,  and  sets  all  the  blue  devils  that  ever  tor- 
mented a  diseased  imagination  at  work  to  destroy  our  com- 
placency. We  wish  its  name  could  be  changed  by  Act  of  Con- 
gress !  —  To  be  serious,  as  we  have  no  desire  to  blot  the  mem- 
ory of  any  dead,  or  hurt  the  feelings  of  any  living,  we  premise 
to  the  reader  that  it  is  not  our  intention  to  give  a  history  of  that 
'  affair,'  but  to  confine  ourselves  as  strictly  as  possible  to  the  part 
borne  in  it  by  the  subject  of  this  biography,  and  to  depart  as 
little  as  may  be  from  the  notes  of  it  as  made  by  his  own  hand. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  information  reached  him,  that  the 
enemy  had  landed  an  army  at  Benedict,  and  were  then  in  full 
march  on  the  road  to  Washington.  He  immediately  landed 
with  four  hundred  of  his  men,  leaving  the  flotilla,  under  the 
command  of  his  second  lieutenant,  Mr  Frazier,  a  little  above 
Pig  Point,  with  positive  orders,  should  the  enemy  appear  near 
him  in  force,  to  set  fire  to  every  boat  and  see  them  in  full  con- 
flagration, and  ihen  join  him  with  the  rest  of  the  men.*  He 
marched  to  Upper  Marlborough  that  evening  ;  on  the  following 
morning,  hearing  from  General  Winder  that  he  was  with  his 
army  at  the  Woodyard,  he  continued  his  march  to  that  place, 
which  he  reached  about  midday.  Here  he  was  gratified  to 
find  Captain  Miller  of  the  Marines,  with  eighty  men  and  five 
pieces  of  artillery,  who  had  been  directed  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  to  report  to  him  and  place  himself  under  his  orders. 
He  had  been  pleased  with  the  conduct  of  Captain  Miller  on  a 
former  occasion,  and  finding  him  to  be  as  intelligent  and  active 
as  he  was  brave  and  honorable,  he  received  him  and  his  Marines 
as  a  most  acceptable  reinforcement  of  his  command.  But  he 
had  scarcely  time  to  congratulate  himself  upon  this  mark  of 
confidence  on  the  part  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  when  he 
was  astonished  to  perceive  the  whole  army  in  motion  to  retreat. 
He  puzzled  himself  in  vain  to  discover  the  cause  of  this  pre- 
cipitate, and,  as  he  thought,  injudicious,  movement,  until  at  length 
the  General  rode  up  and  informed  him  that  the  enemy  had 
turned  off  to  the  right,  on  the  road  to  Upper  Marlborough,  and 
that  his  purpose  in  retiring  was  to  keep  a  position  between  them 

*  It  was  blown  up  the  next  day.     See  Appendix,  No.  IX. 


264  MEMOIR  OF 

and  the  city  of  Washington.  He  of  course  put  his  division 
also  upon  the  march,  and  they  continued  to  retreat  before  the 
enemy  until  they  reached  a  place  called  the  '  Battalion  Old 
Field,'  where,  upon  hearing  that  the  enemy  were  at  Upper 
Marlborough,  they  encamped  for  the  night.  The  President 
and  Heads  of  Departments,  in  their  anxiety  for  the  safety  of 
the  City,  had  all  posted  from  Washington  to  meet  the  army, 
the  moment  they  ascertained  that  the  enemy  were  on  the  march : 
the  first,  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  passed  this  night  about 
half  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  the  army  —  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
joined  the  Commodore  and  slept  in  his  tent.  On  the  following 
morning,  the  23d,  he  accompanied  the  Secretary  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  the  President,  who,  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon 
reviewed  the  troops,  and  exhorted  the  officers  to  be  firm  and 
faithful  in  their  duty.  The  army  remained  the  whole  of  this 
day  at  '  Battalion  Old  Field,'  with  the  exception  of  a  light  de- 
tachment under  Major  Peter,  which  the  General  took  out  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  and  with  which  he  had  some  skirmishing  with 
the  enemy.  About  sunset,  they  resumed  lhe  line  of  march, 
and  proceeded  to  Washington  by  the  way  of  the  Eastern  Branch 
Bridge,  which  they  crossed  about  ten  o'clock  that  night,  and 
the  Commodore  and  his  men  took  up  their  quarters  at  the 
Marine  Barracks. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  the  commanding  general  —  if, 
indeed,  he  could  be  properly  so  called,  while  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  War  were  both  on  the  field,  planning,  counselling 
and  ordering  —  had  an  interview  with  the  Commodore,  in  which 
he  expressed  his  belief,  that  the  enemy  would  attempt  to  reach 
the  city  by  the  same  road  the  army  had  entered  it  the  night  be- 
fore, and  concluded  by  requesting  that  he  would  take  upon  him 
the  defence  of  the  bridge,  over  the  Eastern  Branch,  or  Anacos- 
tia.  The  Commodore,  accordingly,  lost  no  time  in  posting  his 
men,  and  placing  his  cannon  in  battery  so  as  to  command  the 
passage.  About  eleven  o'clock,  a  vidette  came  in  and  gave  him 
the  information  that  the  enemy  had  suddenly  wheeled  to  the 
right,  and  were  then  in  quick  march  on  the  road  to  Bladens- 
burg  ;  the  moment  afterwards,  the  President  rode  up  with  his 
attendant  cabinet,  and  the  Commodore  having  communicated 
this  information  to  him  solicited  permission  to  abandon  the 
bridge,  and  march  with  his  forces  to  join  the  army,  which  had 
been  previously  posted  between  Bladensburg  and  the  city  — 
strengthening  his  request  by  the  declaration,  that  a  midshipman 
with  half  a  dozen  men  would  be  able  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  crossing  the   bridge,  even  if  they  should  return  and  at- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


265 


tempt  the  passage,  by  blowing  up  a  few  of  the  timbers.  The 
President  readily  assented,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  on  the 
march  to  Bladeasburg  with  his  guns  and  men.  Anxious  to 
reconnoitre,  and  obtain  all  the  information  he  could,  as  to  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  and  the  position  of  our  army,  he 
hurried  on  in  advance  of  his  men,  until  he  gained  sight  of  the 
American  troops,  which  he  found  drawn  up  in  detached  parties, 
and  covering  the  road  for  a  mile  west  of  the  village.  The  firing 
commenced  in  the  village  a  few  moments  after  he  rode  up. 
He  instantly  despatched  an  officer  to  expedite  the  march  of  his 
men,  who  soon  made  their  appearance  in  a  trot  ;  the  weather 
was  excessively  hot,  and  they  were  necessarily  much  fatigued 
and  exhausted,  but  they  were  still  full  of  courage  and  eager  to 
see  the  enemy.  He  had  just  time  to  form  his  men,  and  take 
the  limbers  from  his  guns,  before  he  perceived  our  army  in  full 
retreat,  and  the  enemy  calmly  advancing,  he  took  it  for  granted, 
for  some  time,  that  it  was  their  design  to  halt,  and  form  again 
near  the  position  he  had  taken  —  but  he  was  cruelly  disappointed  ; 
they  passed  him  with  rapid  step,  in  evident  confusion  and  disor- 
der. He  maintained  his  ground  nevertheless,  and  waiting  until 
the  enemy  had  advanced  near  enough  tc^be  within  the  certain 
range  of  his  guns,  he  alighted  from  his  horse,  pointed  the  guns 
himself  to  the  proper  level,  and  then  remounted  :  at  this  mo- 
ment the  enemy  began  to  throw  their  rockets,  and  his  battery 
opened  upon  them  in  full  play,  with  round  and  grape-shot. 
The  first  fire  checked  the  enemy's  advance,  and  proved  very 
destructive  to  them ;  it  completely  cleared  the  road.  Their 
second  attempt  to  advance  was  met  with  like  effect  —  the  grape 
and  cannister  shot  literally  mowed  down  all  that  were  to  be 
seen  on  the  road.  Finding  that  it  would  be  no  easy  achieve- 
ment either  to  storm  this  little  battery,  or  to  pass  within  its 
range,  without  greater  loss  than  they  were  willing  to  risk,  the 
enemy  now  left  the  road  and  turned  off  through  a  field  on  their 
left.  The  Commodore  immediately  ordered  the  marines,  under 
Captain  Miller,  and  the  seamen  who  were  acting  as  Infantry, 
under  the  Flotilla  officers,  to  advance  to  the  field  and  meet 
them,  while  at  the  same  time  his  guns  continued  to  play  upon 
their  flank  with  the  destructive  grape  and  cannister.  His  men 
ran  to  the  charge  with  eager  bravery,  and  not  only  checked  the 
advance  of  the  enemy  through  the  field,  but,  jumping  a  fence 
which  crossed  it,  drove  them  back  into  the  woods  under  cover 
of  a  deep  ravine,  nearly  two  hundred  yards  in  the  rear  — 
here  they  left  them  and  returned  to  the  guns.  Colonel  Thorn- 
ton, Colonel  Woods,  and  several  other  officers  of  the  enemy, 
fell  wounded  in  this  vigorous  charge  — the  first,  afterwards  told 
23 


%66  MEMOIR  or 

the  Commodore,  that  his  men  had  passed  very  near  him  in  their 
advance,  and  that  he  expected  every  instant  to  be  discovered 
as  he  lay  prostrate,  and  made  prisoner  ;  but  they  missed  him  ; 
and  on  their  return  from  the  charge,  they  took  another  route, 
leaving  him  some  distance  to  their  right. 

While  the  Commodore,  with  his  brave  flotilla-men  and  ma- 
rines, was  thus  holding  the  enemy  in  check,  the  rest  of  the 
American  troops  had  totally  disappeared  ;  not  a  man  of  them 
was  to  be  seen  on  the  ground.  The  firing  was  still  kept  up  for 
some  time  longer  ;  the  British  sharp-shooters,  in  straggling  par- 
ties, had  gained  posts  near  him,  and  were  galling  him  excessive- 
ly with  their  fire  —  his  horse  was  killed  under  him,  pierced  by 
two  balls  ;  and  several  of  his  best  officers  were  killed  and 
wounded  ;  Mr  Warner,  an  excellent  and  brave  officer,  was  kill- 
ed by  his  side,  while  at  his  gun  ;  Mr  William  Martin,  who  com- 
manded one  of  the  guns,  was  severely  wounded  — he  was  so 
good  an  officer  that  the  loss  of  his  services  was  deeply  felt ; 
Mr  J.  Martin,  also,  a  fine  young  man,  fell  severely  wounded. 
Jn  the  charge  upon  the  enemy  on  the  field,  Captain  Miller  and 
Captain  Sevier  of  the  marines,  had  both  been  wounded,  and  a 
number  of  the  men  killed  and  wounded  :  —  the  Commodore  him- 
self had  been  wounded  some  time  before,  by  a  musket  ball  in 
the  thigh,  and  was  beginning  to  feel  excessively  weak  and  faint 
from  the  loss  of  blood,  for  he  had  kept  his  wound  a  secret,  and 
had  taken  no  steps  to  staunch  the  flow  of  blood  :  — to  add  to 
his  misfortunes  and  regrets,  the  wagon,  containing  the  cartridges 
both  for  his  cannon  and  muskets,  had  been  carried  off,  in  the 
general  confusion  and  flight  of  the  army.  —  The  enemy  were 
now  beginning  to  flank  out  upon  his  right,  under  cover  of  a 
thick  wood,  and  had  nearly  surrounded  him  —  his  men,  who 
had  been  marching  continually  for  three  days,  without  regularrest 
or  supply  of  provisions,  were  beginning  to  be  exhausted  and 
wearied,  and  he  was  himself  scarcely  able  to  hold  up  his  head ; 
under  these  circumstances,  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  order  a 
retreat*  —  which  was  effected  in  perfect  order  by  his  men,  and 
those  of  the  officers  who  were  able  to  march ;  he,  with  the 
help  of  three  of  his  officers,  Dukehart,  Hamilton  and  Huffing- 
ton,  was  only  able  to  retire  a  few  yards,  when  he  felt  himself 
compelled  to  lie  down  — ordering  his  officers  with  the  exception 
of  one,  (Mr  Huffington)  to  leave  him,  and  make  good  their  re- 
treat.f     We  feel  it  to  be  a  duty  —  which  we  perform,  certain- 

*See  Appendix,  No  X. 

tThe  Commodore  at  first  merely  requested  the  officers  to  leave  him  and 
provide  for  their  own  safety  ;  but  they  generously  refused  to  abandon  him, 
and  he  was  obliged  for  their  own  sakes  to  exert  his  authority  as  commander 
and  order  them  to  quit  tue  field. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  267 

ly,  with  no  pleasure — to  record,  that  while  he  thus  lay, 
exhausted  and  unable  to  walk,  one  of  his  own  Aids  rode  by 
on  a  horse  which  he  had  himself  furnished  him,  without  pay- 
ing the  slightest  attention  to  his  wounded  commander,  though, 
repeatedly  called  upon  to  stop  and  leave  his  horse  !  For  the  honor 
of  human  nature,  we  must  believe,  that  this  Aid  was  both  blind 
and  deaf:  if  he  had  left  his  horse,  the  Commodore  would  have 
escaped  being  made  prisoner,  and  a  sound  man  on  foot  would 
have  been  in  no  danger  of  being  overtaken. 

Shortly  after  this  inhuman  and  disgraceful  abandonment,  the 
enemy  came  up  —  Captain  Wainwright,  of  the  British  Navy, 
who  commanded  Admiral  Cockburn's  flag  ship,  was  the  first  to 
approach  him  :  he  was  a  very  young  looking  man,  and  being 
dressed  in  a  short,  round  jacket,  the  Commodore  mistook  him 
for  a  Midshipman  ;  but  they  were  soon  mutually  announced  to 
each  other,  and  the  moment  Captain  W.  learned  the  name  of 
his  prisoner,  he  went  in  search  of  the  Admiral,  who  soon  after- 
wards made  his  appearance,  accompanied  by  the  commanding 
general,  Ross.  They  both  accosted  the  prisoner  in  the  most 
polite  and  respectful  terms,  offering  immediate  assistance,  and 
the  attendance  of  their  surgeon.  After  a  little,  General  Ross, 
who  no  doubt  felt  as  he  spoke,  said.  '  I  am  really  very  glad 
to  see  you,  Commodore  !'  to  which  the  Commodore  replied, 
with  equal  sincerity  of  feeling :  '  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  return 
you  the  compliment,  General !'  —  Ross  smiled,  and  turning 
to  the  Admiral,  remarked,  'I  told  you  it  was  the  Flotilla 
men  !  '  —  '  Yes  !  you  were  right,  though  I  could  not  believe 
you  — they  have  given  us  the  only  fighting  we  have  had.'  Af- 
ter some  further  conversation  between  these  two  Commanders 
in  a  lower  tone,  General  Ross  turned  again  to  the  prisoner  and 
said,  '  Commodore  Barney,  you  are  paroled,  where  do  you 
wish  to  be  conveyed  ? '  —  His  wound  had  in  the  meantime  been 
dressed  by  a  British  surgeon,  and  he  requested  to  be  conveyed 
to  Bladensburg.  The  General  immediately  ordered  a  sergeant's 
guard  to  attend  with  a  litter,  and  Captain  Wainwright  was  di- 
rected by  the  Admiral  to  accompany  it,  and  see  that  every  at- 
tention was  paid  to  the  Commodore.  He  was  still  very  weak, 
and  the  motion  of  the  litter  excited  such  intense  pain  in  his 
wound,  that  he  was  unable  to  restrain  the  expression  of  it  in  bis 
countenance.  —  Captain  W.  observed  it,  and  immediately  or- 
dered the  soldiers  to  put  the  litter  down,  saying  c  they  did  not 
know  how  to  handle  a  man' — he  then  directed  a  young  na- 
val officer  who  was  with  him  to  '  bring  a  gang  of  saiioi's'  to 
carry  the   litter.     This  order  was  speedily   executed,  and  the 


268 


MEMOIR  OF 


Commodore  found  a  most  agreeable  difference  in  the  comfort  of 
his  conveyance,  for  the  rest  of  the  road,  for  the  sailors,  as  Cap- 
tain W.  had  predicted,  *  handled  him  like  a  child/ 

Just  as  this  change  of  carriers  had  been  affected,  one  of  his 
wounded  men,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  whose  arm 
was  hanging  only  by  a  small  peice  of  the  skin  by  his  side,  as  he 
passed  near  the  litter  stopped,  knelt  by  the  side  of  his  comman- 
der, and  seizing  one  of  his  hands  with  the  only  arm  he  had,  kiss- 
ed it  repeatedly  with  great  apparent  affection  and  burst  into  tears  ! 
The  effect  of  this  action  upon  the  British  sailors  was  electric  — 
they  began  to  wipe  their  eyes,  and  blow  their  noses,  in  concert, 
and  one  of  them  at  length  broke  out  —  with,  '  Well,  d — n  my 
eyes  !  if  he  was  n't  a  kind  commander,  that  chap  would  n't  ha 
done  that  /' 

Upon  reaching  Bladensburg,  he  was  taken,  at  his  own  request, 
into  '  Ross's  Tavern,'  and  there  taking  a  bank  note  of  fifty  dol- 
lars from  his  pocket-book,  he  offered  it  to  the  sailors,  in  remu- 
neration of  the  care  and  tenderness  with  which  they  had  con- 
veyed him  ;  but  these  noble  hearted  tars  positively  refused  to 
accept  a  single  cent  for  their  labor.  After  they  had  retired, 
he  sent  for  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  who  had  first  undertaken 
the  service  of  conveying  him,  and  offered  the  note  to  him :  it 
was  accepted  without  the  hesitation  of  a  moment,  and  with  many 
bows  and  thanks  —  the  reader  will  hardly  be  surprised  to  learn, 
mat  a  fellow  capable  of  taking  money  from  a  prisoner  under 
such  circumstances,  could  have  neither  military  pride  nor  patri- 
otism ;  he  deserted  that  night  with  his  whole  command. 

Captain  Miller,  who  as  we  have  said  had  been  severely  wound- 
ed, in  the  gallant  charge  upon  the  enemy  in  the  field  to  the  right  of 
the  battery  be'ng  unable  to  leave  the  ground,  was  among  the  pri- 
soners, and  was  brought  into  the  Commodore's  room  soon  after 
he  got  himself  established  at  Ross's. 

With  the  retreat  of  Barney's  men,  the  battle,  of  course,  end- 
ed ;  the  enemy  remained  on  the  battle-ground  until  the  after- 
noon of  the  next  day,  the  25th,  and  then  marched  leisurely  into 
the  city.  With  their  conduct  there,  as  it  does  not  belong  to  our 
subject,  we  shall  not  meddle.  General  Ross,  on  the  day  of 
his  entering  the  city,  sent  a  list  of  officers  to  the  Commodore,  for 
his  ratification,  whom  he  had  agreed  to  parole ;  and  that  eve- 
ning, the  guard  —  which  had  been  stationed  at  his  door,  at 
his  own  request,  to  prevent  the  annoyance  of  intruders  —  sud- 
denly abandoned  him,  from  which  he  concluded  that  the  enemy 
W'ere  already  moving  off,  a  surmise  that  was  verified  the  next 
morning.     Mr  Bartlett,  the  secretary  to  the  British  Commissary 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  269 

of  prisoners,  came  to  him,  early  on  the  26th,  to  say  that  the 
army  had  retired  to  Upper  Marlborough,  and  to  request  that 
he  would  send  for  some  of  his  own  men,  for  the  purpose  of  keep 
ing  order  in  the  town  and  preventing  mischief  from  stragglers 
and  deserters  —  he  very  kindly  offered  his  own  horse  to  con- 
vey the  Commodore's  orders.  The  latter  immediately  sent  off 
his  landlord,  Mr  Ross,  with  a  letter  to  General  Mason,  the 
American  Commissary  of  prisoners,  and  all  proper  steps 
were  taken  that  the  case  required.  In  the  evening,  Captain 
Burd,  of  the  light  horse,  came  in  with  his  men  ;  from  him  the 
Commodore  learned  that  the  enemy  had  left  upwards  of  eighty 
wounded  officers  and  men  in  the  village,  with  a  guard  to  pro- 
tect and  attend  them,  but  that  the  guard  would  surrender  to  him 
without  difficulty  —  he  directed  that  the  guard  should  be  secur- 
ed, and  the  officers  paroled,  and  that  a  party  of  his  men  should 
be  sent  out  to  pick  up  stragglers,  and  a  few  posted  in  the  village 
to  preserve  order.  All  this  duty  was  attended  to,  in  the  midst 
of  great  pain  and  suffering  from  his  wound  ;  and  he  remained 
in  Bladensburg  until  the  27th,  when  his  wife,  his  son,  and  his 
own  surgeon,  Dr  Hamilton,  arrived  with  a  carriage,  in  which  he 
was  conveyed,  upon  a  bed,  to  his  farm  at  Elkridge.* 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  XL 


23* 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


The  City  of  Washington  presents  a  sword  to  Commodore  Barney.  —  He  is  des- 
patched with  a  Flag  of  Trace  to  the  British  Admiral.  — Exchange  of  prison- 
ers. —  British  writers.  —  Commodore  Barney  resumes  command  of  the  flo- 
tilla.—  Debate  in  Congress,  on  a  motion  to  indemnify  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  flotilla  for  their  losses.  —  Vote  of  thanks  by  the  Legislature  of  Geor- 
gia.—  Treaty  of  Peace.  —  The  flotilla  ie  disbanded.  —  The  Commodore  is 
sent  with  Despatches  to  Europe  : —  unhappy  effects  of  the  voyage  upon  his 
health  :  —  melancholy  state  of  his  mind.  —  He  petitions  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  for  authority  to  replace  the  sword  stolen  from  him  :  —  his  dis- 
content and  gloom.  — Reflections  upon  the  causes  of  his  depression.  — An- 
ecdote of  his  arrest  for  debt  and  its  consequences.  —  Example  of  his  profuse 
liberality.  —  He  makes  a  journey  to  Kentucky  with  his  family  : —  his  account 
of  it.  —  Public  dinners  —  Toasts  —  Speeches.  —  Legisla.ive  honors  voted  to 
him.  — Town  of  Elizabeth  : —  Settlers  on  his  lands.  — Curious  account  of  a 
Survey  and  its  results.  —  Satisfactory  termination  of  his  labors  and  difficul- 
ties. 

Many  attempts  were  made  to  extract  the  ball  from  Commo- 
dore Barney's  wound,  all  of  which  proved  ineffectual  :  it  had 
so  securely  imbedded  itself  behind  the  head  of  the  femur,  that 
the  surgeons  were  unable  to  ascertain  its  position  with  their  in- 
struments, or  to  feel  it  ;  and  as  they  did  not  deem  it  advisable 
to  cut  at  random  for  the  purpose  of  finding  it,  they  proceeded 
to  heal  the  wound.  — The  comforts  of  home,  and  the  close  at- 
tentions of  a  devoted  wife,  children,  and  friends,  soon  raised 
him  once  more  upon  his  feet ;  but  this  unfortunate  ball  continued, 
occasionally,  to  give  him  great  uneasiness  during  the  rest  of  his 
life,  and  was,  indeed,  eventually  the  cause  of  his  death.  While 
he  was  thus  confined,  it  afforded  him  the  most  cordial  gratifica- 
tion to  hear,  that  his  gallant  flotilla  men  were  bravely  sustaining, 
in  the  defence  of  Baltimore,  the  high  reputation  they  had  earn- 
ed at  St  Leonard's  Creek  and  Washington  :  the  greater  part  of 
the  credit,  in  fact,  which  was  so  lavishly  bestowed  upon  the 
commander  and  officers  of  Fort  McHenry  —  whose  merit  con- 
sisted in  not  abandoning  the  fort  —  was  due  to  the  officers  oi 
the  flotilla,  whose  batteries  executed  the  only  damage  which  the 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY.  271 

enemy  received  in  their  attempt  to  land  above  the  fort.*  On 
the  20th  of  September,  he  was  well  enough  to  ride  to  Balti- 
more, and  to  visit  his  flotilla,  on  which  occasion  he  '  was  receiv- 
ed with  repeated  acclamations  by  his  brave  fellows  of  the  flo- 
tilla.'f  Shortly  after  this,  an  elegant  sword  was  presented  to 
him  by  the  Mayor  of  Washington,  the  late  Dr  James  H.  Blake 
—  the  father  of  the  young  gentleman  whom  we  have  heretofore 
introduced  to  the  reader  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Commodore's 
barge  at  the  battle  of  St  Leonard's  —  which  had  been  voted  to 
him  by  the  corporation  of  Washington,  '  as  a  testimonial  of  the 
high  sense  which  this  corporation  entertains  of  his  distinguished 
gallantry  and  good  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Bladensburg. 'J 

On  the  7th  of  October  he  proceeded  to  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, and  was  on  the  same  day  despatched  with  a  flag  of  truce  to 
the  British  commander  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  for  the  purpose 
of  arranging  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  He  took  with  him 
Colonels  Thornton  and  Woods,  several  other  British  officers, 
and  about  eighty  men,  being  authorized  by  the  Commissary 
General  of  prisoners  to  make  a  general  exchange,  upon  terms 
to  be  decided  by  his  own  discretion.  Upon  reaching  the  Ad- 
miral's ship,  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  Colonel  Brook, 
then  commanding  officer  of  the  British  forces,  with  whom  he 
entered  immediately  into  a  convention  ||  — with  the  approbation 
of  Admiral  Malcom  —  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  all  the  pri- 
soners, on  either  side,  who  had  been  taken  at  the  battle  of 
Bladensburg  and  in  the  attack  on  Baltimore,  should  be  recipro- 
cally released  :  the  British  who  had  been  left  at  Bladensburg, 
and  Washington,  and  afterwards  sent  to  Fredericktown,  were  to 
be  forwarded  to  the  fleet  ;  and  the  Americans  who  had  been 
sent  to  Halifax  and  Bermuda  were  to  be  released  and  sent 
home.  By  this  arrangement,  in  which  the  Commodore  him- 
self was  included,  there  was  a  balance  left  in  favor  of  the 
United  States  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men  —  a  fact  which 
furnishes  the  best  answer  that  can  be  given,  to  the  vaunting  ac- 

*  See  Appendix,  No.   XII. 

1  Niles's  Register,  Vol.  vn.  p.  32.  —  Mr  Niles  states  that  the  Commodore 
4  resumed  his  command"  on  this  day;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  into  which  the 
Editor  was  very  naturally  led  by  a  mere  visit  of  kindness,  converted  by  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  men  into  one  of  triumph.  The  Commodore  was  not  ex- 
changed until  the  8th  of  October,  and  therefore  could  not  have  resumed 
his  command  in  September,  without  a  breach  of  parole. 

X  For  the  description  of  the  sword  and  Resolutions  of  the  corporation,  see 
Appendix,  No.  XIII. 

||  See  Appendix,  No.  XIV. 


272 


MEMOIR  OF 


counts  which  certain  British  officers  gave  to  the  world  of  their 
operations  at  Washington.  We  are  not  disposed  to  deny  to  the 
British  army  any  of  the  merit  which  they  deserved  in  this  ex- 
traordinary enterprise  —  that  they  frightened  our  government, 
infused  a  panic  into  our  troops,  and  were  permitted  to  enter  our 
Capital  in  triumph,  are  facts,  however  disgraceful,  too  notorious- 
ly true  to  be  contradicted.  But  when,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
taken  into  consideration,  that  a  British  army  of  veterans,  more 
than  five  thousand  strong,  were  held  in  check  for  several  hours 
by  less  than  five  hundred  seamen  and  marines,  who  with  five 
pieces  of  artillery  bravely  maintained  their  ground,  in  defiance 
of  every  attempt  to  dislodge  them,  and  who  finally  made  good 
their  retreat,  in  unbroken  order  —  that  the  invaders  lost,  in 
killed,  wounded,  prisoners  and  deserters,  not  less  than  eleven 
hundred  men,  and  that  the  American  loss  did  not  exceed  sixty 
men,  fifty  of  whom  belonged  to  the  gallant  band  just  mentioned 

—  we  cannot  think  that  the  foe  had  any  great  reason  to  boast  of 
their  triumph.  Some  of  the  British  writers  have  done  justice, 
in  their  narratives  of  this  invasion,  to  the  gallantry  of  '  Barney 
and  his  flotilla  men  ;  \  but  we  are  not  acquainted  with  a  single 
one  who  has  given  the  whole  truth.* 

Immediately  after  his  visit  to  the  British  fleet,  he  returned  to 
Baltimore,  and  on  the  10th  of  October  resumed  the  command 
of  his  flotilla.  Several  new  barges  had,  in  the  meantime,  been 
built  and  equipped  —  a  steam  frigate,  intended  to  be  added  to 
his  command,  was  on  the  stocks,  nearly  ready  to  be  launched 

—  and  he  had  received  orders  from  the  Navy  Department  to 
recruit  a  large  number  of  men,  with  authority  to  augment 
their  bounty  and  pay.  The  enemy's  ships  left  the  Bay,  soon 
after  the  exchange  of  prisoners  :  and  though  commissioners  had 
been  appointed  by  the  respective  governments  to  negotiate 
a  Treaty  of  Peace,  there  was  no  remission  of  diligence  in  the 
preparations  for  a  renewal  of  hostilities  in  the  following  spring. 
In  the  course  of  this  month,  a  petition  was  presented  to  Con- 
gress, in  behalf  of  the  officers  and  seamen  of  the  flotilla,  asking 
indemnity  for  the  losses  of  clothes  and  other  private  effects 
sustained  by  the  destruction  of  the  barges  in  the  Patuxent.  It 
occasioned  an  animated  debate  in  the  House,  and  there  seemed 
to  be  a  wilful  disposition  to  misunderstand,  or  to  misrepresent, 
the  merits  of  the  question,  on  the  part  of  many  of  the  mem- 
bers ;  by  whom  it  was  averred,  either  from  inexcusable  ignor- 
ance or  some  till  worse  motive,  that  the  enemy  w7ere  not  with- 
in a  day's  march  of  the  flotilla,  when  it  was  blown  up  —  thus  in- 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  XV. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  273 

timating  that  the  destruction  had  been  a  wanton  act  of  mischief 
or  cowardice,  for  which  it  would  be  but  just  to.leave  the  suffer- 
ers without  relief.  The  moment  Commodore  Barney  saw  the 
turn  given  to  the  discussion,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  honor- 
able Mr  Pleasants  of  Virginia,  in  which  he  indignantly  repelled 
the  unworthy  insinuations,  and  justified  the  orders  he  had  left 
with  his  officer  to  destroy  the  flotilla.  It  will  be  recollected 
that  he  landed  his  men  on  the  21st  of  August,  in  pursuance  of 
positive  orders  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  on  the 
same  day  joined  General  Winder  at  the  Woodyard,  leaving  an 
officer  and  about  a  hundred  men,  that  the  flotilla  might  be 
taken  care  of  to  the  last  moment,  and  then  destroyed  only  as  an 
alternative  to  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  —  He 
stated,  that  at  the  moment  orders  were  given  to  blow  up  the 
flotilla,  the  enemy  were  firing  upon  it  from  forty  barges  with 
cannon  and  rockets,  and  had  landed  a  body  of  marines  at  Pig 
Point,  within  a  mile  of  the  spot  where  it  lay  —  that  so  far 
from  its  being  possible  to  save  it  by  moving  it  farther  up  the  river 
as  was  alleged,  it  was  already  aground  —  and  that  instead  of 
having  time  to  save  the  baggage,  the  destruction  was  so  long 
delayed  that  several  of  the  men  were  taken  prisoners  while  en- 
gaged in  the  act  of  spreading  the  fire.  As  to  himself,  and  the 
men  with  whom  he  had  marched  on  the  previous  day,  it  was 
they,  and  not  the  enemy,  who  were  *  a  day's  march'  from  the 
flotilla.  To  have  encumbered  them  with  the  baggage  of  the  flo- 
tilla, would  have  been  an  act  of  superlative  folly.  The  letter 
was  read  in  the  House,  by  the  gentleman  to  whom  it  was  ad- 
dressed, and  we  may  pursume  it  had  the  effect  of  removing 
some  of  the  misconceptions  and  prejudices  previously  existing  ; 
for  on  the  next  day  the  bill  was  passed,  with  an  amendment,  how- 
ever, which  confined  the  relief  granted,  to  the  '  petty  officers 
and  seamen.'  * 

While  the  representatives  of  the  nation  were  thus  ungene- 
rously and  ungratefully  outraging  the  feelings  of  this  gallant  de- 
fender of  their  capital,  the  State  of  Georgia  was  doing  honor  to 
herself  in  preparing  for  him  the  highest  reward  which  a  spirit 
like  his  could  receive.  The  Legislature  passed  a  unanimous 
resolution,  expressing  their  sense  of  his  merits,  and  thanking  him 
for  his  good  conduct  in  defence  of  the  capital  of  the  United 
States  :  the  resolution  was  transmitted  to  him  in  a  complimen- 
tary letter  from  the  Governor  of  the  State,  and  we  may  readily 
believe  that  it  acted  as  a  balm  to  his  wounds  of  mind  and  body. 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  XVI. 


274 


MEMOIR  OF 


In  the  midst  of  his  active  preparations  —  which  would  in  a  short 
time  have  placed  him  in  a  situation  to  defend  every  part  of 
1815  the  Chesapeake  —  at  least  against  the  pillaging  enter- 
prises of  the  enemy — Mr  Hughes  arrived  from  Ghent, 
on  the  14th  of  February,  bearing  the  treaty  of  peace  ;  and  all 
further  hostile  operations  were  suddenly  stopped.  Congress  im- 
mediately passed  a  law  directing  the  flotilla  to  be  discharged,  and 
granting  a  gratuity  of  four  months'  pay  to  the  officers  and  men  ; 
orders  were  soon  afterwards  received  from  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment by  the  Commodore,  to  lay  up  his  boats  under  safe  cover- 
ing, and  to  disband  his  gallant  crews.  This  was  speedily  ac- 
complished, and  by  the  29th  of  April,  all  his  multifarious  ac- 
counts with  the  government  had  been  examined  and  settled  to 
his  satisfaction. 

He  had  scarcely  returned  home,  after  being  thus  exonerated 
from  the  labors  and  responsibilities  of  command,  before  he  was 
called  upon  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  present  himself 
once  more  at  Washington.  On  his  arrival  at  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, he  was  told,  that  the  President  was  desirous  that  he 
should  proceed  immediately  to  Europe,  as  the  bearer  of  des- 
patches to  the  several  American  plenipotentiaries.  The  Presi- 
dent, probably,  had  no  other  motive  in  his  selection  of  a  mes- 
senger than  the  wish  to  offer  a  compliment  to  one  who  had 
richly  merited  much  higher  distinction  ;  but  the  Commodore  — 
whose  very  infirm  health  would  otherwise  have  induced  him  to 
decline  the  voyage  —  under  the  impression  that  he  would  hard- 
ly have  been  called  from  home  to  do  that  which  any  ordinary 
messenger  might  have  performed  as  well,  had  too  much  pa- 
triotism to  weigh  his  own  ease  and  comfort  against  the  demands 
of  public  duty,  and  unfortunately  consented  to  go.  Though 
suffering  constant,  and  at  times  very  severe,  pain  from  his 
wound,  his  preparations  for  departure  were  made  with  his  ac- 
customed alertness  ;  and  on  the  25th  of  May  he  sailed  from 
Baltimore,  in  a  vessel  bound  to  Plymouth  —  a  port  which  he 
had  many  reasons  to  remember  with  feelings  of  varied  interest. 
The  passage  was  a  tedious  one  for  the  season  of  the  year,  and 
he  arrived  on  6th  of  July  — his  56th  birth-day — excessively 
fatigued  and  indisposed.  Hearing  at  Plymouth,  that  Mr  Bay- 
ard, one  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  his  despatches  were  ad- 
dressed, had  already  sailed  from  that  port  for  the  United  States; 
that  Mr  Clay  and  Mr  Gallatin,  two  others  of  the  commissioners, 
were  on  the  point  of  sailing  from  Liverpool :  and  that  Mr  Ad- 
ams alone  remained  at  London,  he  set  out  immediately  for  the 
latter  city,  and  arrived  there  in  such  a  state  of  extreme   debil- 


COMMODORE    BARNEY.  275 

ity  and  suffering,  that  he  was  unable  for  several  days  to  rise 
from  his  bed.  After  delivering  his  despatches  to  Mr  Adams, 
he  would  have  proceeded  at  once  to  Stockholm  —  the  resi- 
dence of  the  other  commissioner,  Mr  Russell  —  but  that  he  was 
relieved  from  the  necessity,  by  being  informed  that  it  would 
be  quite  sufficient  to  forward  his  letters  by  any  safe  conveyance  : 
he  had  now  therefore  only  to  wait  for  the  despatches  of  Mr 
Adams,  which  were  soon  ready  for  him,  and  on  the  9th  of  Au- 
gust, he  embarked,  at  Gravesend,  on  his  return  to  the  United 
States.  He  was  ill  nearly  the  whole  passage  home,  which  was 
unusually  long  and  tedious,  for  the  ship  did  not  arrive  at  Balti- 
more unril  the  13th  of  October. 

He  had  thus  been,  for  five  months,  in  a  state  of  constant  and 
fatiguing  exertion,  without  even  the  consolation  of  knowing  that 
there  had  been  any  adequate  motive  for  his  labors  and  priva- 
tions. The  effect  upon  his  system  may  be  readily  imagined. 
When  he  landed  at  Baltimore,  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  recog- 
nise his  identity  :  his  countenance  had  lost  all  its  sparkling  glow, 
his  cheeks  were  pale  and  sunken,  and  his  whole  frame  emaciat- 
ed, except  the  wounded  limb,  which  was  swollen  throughout  its 
whole  extent  to  nearly  double  its  natural  size.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  him  to  have  travelled,  while  in  such  a  state, 
whatever  might  have  been  the  importance  of  the  despatches 
entrusted  to  his  care ;  but  as  he  had  good  reason  to  believe, 
that  no  interest  of  the  country  could  suffer  by  his  transferring 
them  to  another,  he  was  easily  persuaded  to  send  one  of  his 
sons  with  them  to  Washington,  while  he,  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  move,  retired  to  the  quiet  and  repose  of  his  farm. 

Many  months  elapsed  before  he  recovered — if,  indeed,  he 
ever  did  recover — from  the  effects  of  this  voyage.  He  re- 
mained at  home,  confined  the  greater  part  of  the  winter  to  his 
chamber,  not  only  suffering  excruciating  bodily  pain,  but  labor- 
ing under  a  depression  of  spirits,  such  as  his  family  had  never 
before  witnessed  in  him,  and  for  which  they  found  it  difficult  to 
conjecture  any  adequate  cause.  He  had  never  been  in  the 
habit  of  troubling  his  friends  or  his  family  with  griefs  and  com- 
plaints ;  and  the  natural  buoyancy  and  elasticity  of  his  min  d, 
had  hitherto  enabled  him  to  bear  up  against  every  reverse  of 
fortune,  with  a  stoicism  worthy  of  Zeno  himself.  Where  the 
remedy  for  an  evil  was  in  his  own  hands,  he  had  never  wanted 
the  skill  or  the  courage  to  apply  it:  where  the  misfortune  was 
irremediable  by  human  means,  no  man  knew  better  how  to  sus- 
tain it  without  repining.  But  his  physical  organization  was  now 
diseased  —  more  out  of  order  than  it  had  ever  before  been  — 


276 


MEMOIR  OF 


and  it  was  not  wonderful  that  his  mind  should  be  somewhat 
shaken  in  its  firmness  by  the  severity  of  the  shock.  He  who 
had  all  his  life  looked  only  at  the  bright  side  of  every  picture, 
began  to  feel  a  gloomy  pleasure  in  reversing  the  canvas,  and 
hunting  out,  like  a  querulous  cynic,  the  dark  spots  and  stains 
that  disfigured  it  —  his  temper,  naturally  quick  and  impatient, 
but  withal  placable  and  easy  to  be  soothed,  was  now  becoming 
peevish  and  irritable :  the  society  of  his  best  friends  was  irk- 
some to  him,  and  he  seemed  to  be  fast  settling  into  the  morose- 
ness  of  misanthropy. 

The  reader  will  probably  recollect,  that,  soon  after  the  Com- 
modore's arrival  at  Paris  with  Mr  Monroe  in  the  year  1794, 
his  chamber  was  robbed,  and  that,  among  other  things  stolen 
from  it,  was  the  sword  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1782.  He  regarded  the  loss  at 
the  time  as  the  most  serious  misfortune  that  could  have  befallen 
him  ;  the  most  extravagant  rewards  were  offered,  and  the  in- 
genuity of  the  police  was  put  in  requisition,  to  recover  it,  but 
without  success,  and  he  would  have  been  inconsolable  but  for 
the  belief,  that  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  would  make  no  ob- 
jection to  grant  him  authority  '  to  have  another  sword  made, 
at  his  own  expense,  with  the  same  emblems  and  devices  as  on 
the  former  one.'  In  the  winter  of  1814,  while  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  active  preparations  of  his  flotilla  for  renewed 
hostilities,  and  while  the  whole  country  was  still  echoing  the 
fame  of  his  gallant  exploit  at  Bladensburg,  he  thought  the  op- 
portunity a  favorable  one  for  carrying  into  execution  his  long 
cherished  design,  and  with  that  view  addressed  a  petition  to  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  asking  the  permission  we  have 
quoted  above.  He  inclosed  the  petition  to  his  friend,  the  Hon- 
orable Jonathan  Roberts,  then  a  Senator  in  Congress  from 
that  State,  with  a  request  that  he  would  make  such  disposal  of 
it  as  to  his  friendship  and  judgment  might  seem  best.  Mr 
Roberts  very  promptly  transmitted  it  to  Harrisburg,  and  ac- 
companied it  with  a  letter  from  himself  to  the  Speaker  of  the 
Senate,  (the  late  Judge  Todd,)  in  which  he  urged  it  upon  the 
attention  of  the  legislature,  by  every  consideration  that  the 
warmest  sympathy  and  good  wishes  for  the  petitioner  could  sug- 
gest. The  petition  was  presented  and  read  on  the  28th  of 
December,  1814,  and  led,  as  we  believe,  to  some  warm  and 
excited  discussion ;  but  in  the  end,  a  resolution  was  passed, 
which  was  approved  by  the  Governor  on  the  4th  of  March, 
following,  in  these  words  : 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  277 

1  The  legislature  continues  mindful  of  the  revolutionary 
services  of  Commodore  Barney,  and  as  well  in  consideration 
of  those  services,  as  of  the  signal  exertions  and  good  conduct 
at  Bladensburg  in  August  last,  in  defence  of  the  capital  of  the 
United  States,  Therefore,  Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in 
general  assembly  met,  that  the  said  Commodore  Barney  is 
hereby  authorized  to  procure  a  sword  with  devices  and  emblems 
similar  to  the  one  presented  to  him  by  the  legislature  of  this 
commonwealth,  in  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
two.' 

When  he  saw  this  Resolution,  of  which  it  is  remarkable  that 
he  did  not  receive  a  copy  until  late  in  December,  at  the  period 
we  have  represented  him  to  be  in  a  state  of  great  mental  de- 
pression, he  thought  he  could  perceive,  in  its  peculiar  phraseol- 
ogy, an  unworthy  design,  on  the  part  of  the  legislature,  to 
wound  and  insult  his  feelings  while  they  affected  to  compliment 
his  bravery  :  they  seemed  to  give  a  cold  assent  to  the  prayer 
of  his  petition,  not  because  they  desired  to  perpetuate  the  re- 
membrance of  his  former  services,  but  because  his  recent 
good  conduct  had  left  them  without  an  excuse  to  refuse.  — 
Gloomy  fancies,  like  misfortunes,  never  come  in  single  file  : 
one  disagreeable  and  painful  idea  seldom  fails  to  engender 
another,  and  when  we  once  begin  to  quarrel  with  the  world, 
every  little  disappointment  of  our  hopes  rises  upon  the  memory 
as  some  intended  insult ;  —  we  imagine  a  thousand  wrongs,  and 
remember  a  thousand  slights,  that  exist  only  in  the  disease  of 
the  mind ;  we  compare  our  lot  with  that  of  some  favored  min- 
ion of  fortune,  and,  forgetting  that  the  smiles  of  the  goddess 
are  not  always  the  reward  of  merit,  torment  ourselves  with 
fruitless  endeavors  to  find  an  explanation  of  the  disparity  — 
pride  and  self-respect  lose  their  wholesome  influence,  and  our 
peace  and  happiness  become  the  victims  of  our  own  morbid 
sensibility.  —  We  do  not  mean  to  be  understood  as  affirming 
that  Commodore  Barney  had  no  cause  to  be  dissatisfied  with 
the  seeming  state  of  oblivion,  into  which  his  many  arduous  and 
important  services  had  been  permitted  to  sink,  by  those  who 
had  it  in  their  power,  and  whose  duty  it  was,  to  remember  and 
reward  them  ;  —  on  the  contrary,  we  are  ready  to  maintain  that 
he  had  been  most  ungratefully  forgotten,  both  by  the  govern- 
ment of  his  native  State  and  that  of  the  United  States,  on  many 
suitable  occasions,  when  they  had  been  dispensing  honors  with 
a  lavish  hand  upon  many  who  certainly  could  not  better  de- 
serve them  than  he  did  ;  but  we  mean  only  to  say,  and  we  think 
24 


278  MEMOIR  OF 

the  reader  will  agree  with  us,  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  terms 
of  the  Resolution  of  the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  which  ought 
to  have  been  considered  as  offensive,  and  that  his  viewing  it  in 
that  light,  is  to  be  ascribed  only  to  the  peculiar  state  of  his 
mind  and  frame  at  the  time  of  receiving  it.  We  are  unwilling 
to  believe,  that  any  dignified  public  body,  and  more  especially 
the  legislature  of  a  State  which  his  revolutionary  services  had 
so  largely  contributed  to  illustrate,  would  designedly  insult  a 
gallant  officer,  whose  petition  to  them  was  in  itself  an  evidence 
of  the  high  and  honorable  motives  that  actuated  him.  It  is 
true,  the  legislature  displayed  no  great  liberality  or  generosity, 
on  the  occasion  which  his  request  so  fairly  offered  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  public  munificence  ;  but  they  granted  all  that  he  asked, 
and  would  no  doubt  have  done  the  same  had  his  prayer  extend- 
ed to  the  means  as  well  as  the  authority  '  to  procure  a  sword.' 
At  any  other  moment,  his  own  consciousness  of  merit  would 
have  saved  him  from  the  mortification  of  thinking  it  possible, 
that  any  legislative  or  executive  body  in  the  United  States, 
could  either  forget  his  services,  or  so  far  dishonor  their  own 
characters  as  wantonly  to  insult  his  feelings  or  contemn  his  high 
claims  to  consideration.  Even  the  best  disposed  governments 
have  it  not  always  in  their  power  to  show  the  gratitude  they  feel, 
at  the  moment  when  it  would  be  most  soothing  and  acceptable 
to  those  to  whom  it  is  due ;  nor  can  they,  upon  all  occasions, 
manifest  it  in  the  form  most  desired  :  duty  must  sometimes 
interfere  with  inclination,  and  political  necessity  often  steps  in 
to  divert  the  regular  current  of  both.  When  his  mind  was  in 
the  vigor  and  activity  of  health,  Commodore  Barney  knew  how 
to  make  allowance  for  the  variety  of  motive  that  might  deter- 
mine the  conduct  of  those  in  power,  without  attributing  their 
apparent  neglect  of  him  to  causes  mortifying  to  his  self-respect : 
but  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  philosophy  itself  to  control  the 
morbid  influence  of  a  diseased  frame,  upon  the  operations  of 
the  mental  faculties. 

In  addition,  however,  to  this  physical  cause  of  his  unwonted 
depression  of  spirits,  there  were  other  circumstances  well  cal- 
culated to  communicate  a  gloomy  hue  to  his  reflections  and 
future  prospects.  We  have  had  more  than  one  occasion  to  ob- 
serve, that,  though  he  had  been  generally  successful  in  his 
efforts  to  make  money,  he  was  as  unskilled  as  a  child  in  the 
more  difficult  art  of  hoarding  it ;  and  that  his  open,  unsuspi- 
cious nature,  exposed  him  to  every  species  of  depredation 
from  the  cunning  and  avaricious.  But  notwithstanding  the  im- 
mense losses  which  he  sustained  from  these  causes,  the  perfidy 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


279 


of  agents,  and  the  dishonesty  of  those  with  whom  it  was  his 
fortune  to  be  connected  in  business,  there  ought  still  to  have 
been  left  to  him  a  sum  sufficient,  under  anything  like  a  pru- 
dent management,  to  have  supported  him  through  a  long  life  in 
comfort,  if  not  in  splendor.  The  expenses  of  his  family  were, 
for  many  years,  almost  incredibly  enormous  ;  but  it  would  be 
unjust  to  blame  them  for  an  extravagance,  which  was  not  only 
authorized  by  his  unlimited  allowances  to  them,  while  abroad, 
but  encouraged  by  his  own  profuse  and  princely  style  of  living, 
on  his  return  home.  His  liberality  and  indulgence  to  his  child- 
ren were,  literally,  without  bounds  —  as  an  example  of  it,  we 
may  mention  the  fact,  that  the  allowance  to  his  sons,  when 
sent,  each  in  his  turn,  to  Europe,  (independently  of  clothing 
and  travelling  expenses,)  was  very  nearly  equal  to  the  salary 
paid  to  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Maryland.  He  believed 
himself  wealthy  enough  to  afford  it,  and  unfortunately  did  not 
stop  to  calculate  any  deeper  consequence  of  this  profusion, 
than  the  present  abstraction  of  so  much  money  from  a  capital 
which  was  to  be  entirely  theirs  when  he  should  be  no  more. 
It  never  occurred  to  him,  that  either  he  or  they  could  be  injured, 
by  an  indulgence  which  sprung  from  a  doating,  paternal  affec- 
tion. The  sole  object  of  his  many  toils  —  the  only  end  for 
which  he  had  ever  desired  to  amass  a  fortune,  was  that  he 
might  be  enabled  to  give  the  means  of  enjoyment  to  his  child- 
ren, and  live  a  witness  of  the  fruition  it  was  his  happiness  to 
bestow.  His  confidence  in  his  children  was  as  unlimited  as 
his  parental  fondness  :  but  he  had  never  himself  learned  a  les- 
son in  the  useful  science  of  economy,  and  was  therefore  as  little 
acquainted  with  its  precepts  as  he  was  unconscious  of  its  ne- 
cessity. If  he  had  ever  heard  of  the  Scotsman's  advice  to  his 
son,  upon  sending  him  forth  into  the  world,  it  is  very  certain  it 
made  no  impression  upon  his  thoughts  when  he  was  composing 
his  instructions  on  a  similar  occasion.  With  the  single  omis- 
sion, however,  of  this  very  important  item  in  the  paternal  counsel, 
we  cannot  help  saying  that  his  farewell  letters,  upon  the  depart- 
ure of  his  sons  from  home,  evince  a  knowledge  of  the  world,  a 
soundness  of  judgment,  and  a  correctness  of  feeling,  which  the 
proper  use  of  experience  will  always  be  sure  to  confirm.  The 
autograph  of  one  of  these  'etters  is  now  before  us,  and  we 
trust  the  reader  will  not  think  a  few  extracts  from  it  out  of  place. 
—  '  You  are  now  going,'  it  says,  '  into  what  we  call  the  world  — 
be  always  polite  to  every  one,  but  familiar  with  few.  You  can- 
not be  too  cautious  in  your  intercourse  with   strangers  —  trust 


280 


MEMOIR  OF 


none  with  your  opinions,  secrets,  or  money.  Make  no  friends, 
as  the  term  is  too  loosely  used :  if  in  your  whole  life  you  shall 
find  one  who  deserves  that  title,  look  upon  it  as  a  wonder  !  — 
The  usages  and  manners  you  will  see,  are  not  such  as  you  have 
been  accustomed  to  :  do  not  confide  in  appearances —  in  every 
such  city  as  Paris,  or  London,  there  are  tens  of  thousands  who 
are  constantly  on  the  watch  for  exactly  such  characters  as  you 
will  be  among  them  —  that  is,  a  young  man  and  a  stranger, 
whom  they  may  dupe  and  plunder  ;  they  live  by  no  other  means 
and  at  the  same  time  keep,  what  is  called,  the  best  company  — 
avoid  these  as  you  would  escape  destruction.  — Remember  that 
you  have  not  only  a  character  to  gain  for  yourself,  but  that  you 
will  also  be  expected  tp  support  that  which  1  have  been  so  many 
years  building  up.  —  Pay  proper  respect  to  all  who  deserve  it, 
but  never  lessen  or  degrade  yourself  by  servility  to  any. — Mr 

will  furnish  you  with  what  money  you  may  want  for  the 

purchase  of  such  clothes  as  you  may  think  proper  for  your  own 
use,  and  also  with  24  livres  per  day  for  your  expenses",  which  is 
as  much  as  any  gentleman  ought  to  spend  who  does  not  keep 
a  coach,  which  you  will  have  no  necessity  to  do  —  observe,  I 
do  not  include  travelling  expenses.  —  Convinced  that  you  will 
do  everything  I  have  recommended,  I  wish  you  a  safe  voyage 
and  happiness.' 

The  same  reckless  profusion  —  the  same  uncalculating 
wastefulness  of  allowance — displayed  itself  in  every  branch  of 
his  domestic  expenditure,  until  the  evil  was  believed  to  be  be- 
yond remedy.  He  had  fondly  imagined,  while,  a  few  years 
before,  he  was  making  so  lavish  a  distribution  of  his  wealth 
among  his  children,  that  he  was  not  only  conferring  indepen- 
dence and  happiness  upon  them,  but  at  the  same  time  adopting 
the  most  agreeable  and  certain  method  of  laying  up  a  future 
provision  for  himself,  should  any  unforeseen  contingency  arise 
to  render  a  call  upon  it  necessary  ;  for  he  never  doubted  a  mo- 
ment, that  it  would  give  his  children  as  much  pleasure  to  share 
their  property  with  him,  should  such  an  act  of  reciprocity  be- 
come necessary  for  his  support  or  comfort,  as  it  did  himself  to 
render  them  so  early  independent.  The  unfortunate  termina- 
tion of  their  commercial  career,  as  we  have  seen,  not  only  de- 
stroyed these  happy  anticipations,  but  involved  his  remaining 
estate  in  still  further  embarrassments.  So  long  as  his  health 
continued  unimpaired,  and  he  could  enjoy  the  society  of  a  few 
old  companions  and  friends,  the  altered  state  of  his  finances  nev- 
er gave  him  a  moment's  uneasiness,  or,  if  it  did,  he  had  too 
much  fortitude  to  let  it  appear.     The  bustle  of  the  war,  which 


COMMODORE  BARNEY.  281 

soon  afterwards  intervened  —  in  which  we  have  endeavored  to 
show  that  he  was  no   idle  spectator  —  had    the   same  effect  of 
diverting  his  thoughts  from  the  unwelcome  subject,  albeit  an  in- 
cident occurred  at  its  very    commencement,  which,  it  might  be 
supposed,  was  well  calculated  to  force  it  upon  his  mind  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  others.     We  forbore  to  relate  it  at  the  time,  not 
only  because  it  seemed  to  make  no  impression  upon  him,  but  be- 
cause it  would  have  interrupted  the  course  of  the  narrative,  and 
compelled  us  either  to  leave  the  reader  in    suspense,  or,  by  an- 
ticipating events,  diminish  the  interest  it  was  our  wish  to  excite. 
On    the   day  that  the  Rossie  —  a  name  which  we  trust  has  not 
been    forgotten  by    the  reader  —  sailed  from  Baltimore,  at  the 
moment  when  her  gallant  and  veteran  commander,  (having  ex- 
changed farewell   with  the  last  of  his  friends  who  attended  him 
to  the  wharf,)  was  about  to  step  into  the  boat,  waiting  to  convey 
him  to  the  cruiser,  he  received  a  gentle  tap  upon  the   shoulder 
from  a  sheriff's  officer,  who,  with  a  grace  peculiar  to  these  well- 
bred  gentlemen,  expressed  his  '  regret  at  being  obliged  to  de- 
tain him,  but  his  duty  compelled  him  to  say  there  was  a  "  suspi- 
cion of  debt "  against  him  to  the  amount  of  a  thousand  dollars, 
which  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  do  away,  before  he  could 
be  permitted  to  take  his  departure  on  so  perilous  an  enterprise  !' 
Knowing  the  *  suspicion'  to  be  well  founded,  he  did  not   attempt 
to  gainsay  the  accusation  set  forth  in  the  writ  exhibited,  but  very 
quietly  gave   himself  up  to  be  dealt   with  '  according   to  law.' 
The  officer  was  very  civil,  and  contenting  himself  with  having, 
as  he  thought,  broken  up  the  expedition,  he  was  willing  to  take 
the  Commodore's  word  for  his  '  appearance'  at  the  proper  time. 
It  was,  as  we  may  readily  suppose,  not  without  some  feeling  of 
vexation,  that  he  found  himself  thus  unexpectedly  arrested,  at  a 
moment  when  so  many  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him,  and  so  many 
voices  offering  their  wishes  for  the  success  of  the  cruise ;  but, 
yielding  with  a  good  grace  to  the  stern  necessity  of  the  case, 
he  passed  his  word  to  the  sheriff' that  he  would  be   forthcoming 
at  the  next   county  court,  and  then  turned  his  back  upon    the 
wharf,  intending  to  deliver  up  his  papers  to  the  '  ship's  husband' 
and  go  quietly  home  again  to  his  wife  and  farm.     He  sauntered 
slowly  up  South-street,  until  he  reached  the   compting-house  of 
his  friend  Isaac   McKim,  Esquire,   into  which  he  turned  as  a 
momentary  resting  place.     Mr  McKim  expressed  surprise  at 
seeing  him,  saying  he  thought  he  had  been  '  at  least  half  way  to 
the  Capes  by  this  time  !'  — '  Capes,  indeed  !'  replied  the  veter- 
an, '  I  shall  see  no  Capes,  this    season.'  — '  No  Capes  ?  What 
do  you  mean  by  that  ?'  —  '  Why,  I  mean  just  what  I  say  !'  — 
24* 


282 


MEMOIR  OF 


1  But  I  don't  understand  you!' — 'That's   not   my  fault  —  I 
speak  plain  English,  don't  I  ?'  —  '  Speak  French,  then,  and  may 
be  I  shall  understand  you  better.'  — '  Pshaw  !  man,  I  tell   you 
all  the  fat 's  in  the  fire  !'  —  '  What  fat  ?'  continued  the  merchant, 
curious  to  have  the  riddle  expounded,  but  willing  to  humor  the 
peculiar  mood  of  the  Commodore,  which  he  knew  that  some- 
thing extraordinary  must  have  occurred  to  produce  —  '  What 
fat?'  —  'I  am  not  going  out  in  the  Rossie  !  that's  all !'  — '  Not 
going  out  in  the  Rossie,  come,  come  Barney,  this  is   carrying 
the  joke  far  enough  —  do  tell  me  in  plain  terms — you  have  had 
a  quarrel   with  some  of  the    owners,  ha  ?'  —  'No,    but  1  have 
been  nabbed  —  had  a  writ  served  upon  me  just  as  I  was  stepping 
into  the  boat,  and  have  given  my  parole  to  answer  at  the  next 
court  —  So,  I  am  off,  do  you  see,  to  Elkridge,  and  the  Rossie 
must  look  out  for  another  commander.'  — '  The  Rossie  shall  do  no 
such  thing  —  what 's  the  amount  of  the  writ  ?'  —  'A  thousand  !' 
— '  Po  1  po  !  all  this  fuss  for  a  thousand  dollars  !  —  here  go  and 
pay  offthe  suit,  and  get  aboard  as  fast  as  you  can.'  —  Nothing 
could  have  been  further  from  the  Commodore's  dreams  than  such 
a  result  to  his  visit,   when  he  entered   the  compting-house  ;  he 
had  not  the  remotest  intention  of  seeking  a  loan,  but  did  not  hes- 
itate a  moment  to  accept  one  so  generously  forced  upon  him,  par- 
ticularly as  he  had  been  really  more  mortified  than  he  was  willing 
to  acknowledge  at  the  untimely  arrest,  which  compelled  him  to  re- 
mquish  a  favorite    enterprise.     It  took  him  but  a  few  minutes 
to  redeem  his  parole  from  the  keeping  of  the    sheriffs  officer, 
and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  he  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  Ros- 
sie as  she  moved  in  gallant  trim  upon  her  seaward  path. —  Such 
an  incident,  it  may  be  supposed,  did  not  long  remain  a  secret ; 
and  before  the  end  of  the   day,  the  kind  hearted  merchant  re- 
ceived a  visit  from   one   of  the  Commodore's  well  ivishers  — 
possibly  the  very  individual  at  whose  suit  he  had  been  arrested 
—  who  began  to  open  upon  him  in  a  strain  of  reproach,  as  rude 
and  violent  as  if  he  had  been  guilty  of  a  crime  in  lending  his 
money  to  an  old  fellow-citizen,  without'  waiting  to  be    asked. 
'  You'll  never  see  a  cent  of  it  again,  that  is   very  certain,'  said 
this  despicable   backbiter,  '  and   it   w7ill   serve    you  right    for 
your  officious  good-nature  and  folly.  — '  Well,  well  '-'  replied 
Mr  McK.  in  his  peculiar   manner,  '  the  loss  of  a  thousand  dol- 
lars would   not  ruin  one  —  but  I  have   no  fear  ol  losing   it,  1 
"know  the  man.'' — In  less  than  a  week   after  the  return  of  the 
Rossie  from   her  cruise,  her  gallant  commander  called  at  the 
compting-house   of  his  friend,  and  verified  his  good  opinion,  by 
repaying  every  cent  of  his  generous  loan.     Mr  McKim   never 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


283 


told  him  of  the  base  imputation  which  had  been  cast  upon  him, 
and  he  remained  to  the  day  of  his  death  perfectly  unconscious 
of  the  high  gratification  he  had  bestowed  on  his  friend,  by  this 
simple  act  of  common  honesty.  *  It  was  not  that  1  cared  a  fig 
for  the  money,'  said  this  worthy  citizen,  in  relating  the  anecdote 
to  one  of  the  Commodore's  family,  '  but  it  enabled  me  to  stop 
the  mouth  of  a  calumniator.' —  We  have  before  said,  that  the 
cruise  of  the  Rossie,  though  widely  destructive  to  the  commerce 
of  the  enemy  and  therefore  preeminently  successful  in  a  national 
point  of  view,  was  but  little  profitable  to  the  numerous  individu- 
als who  had  united  to  fit  her  out;  this  being  remembered,  the 
reader  will  easily  conceive  that  the  portion  of  prize  money  re- 
maining to  the  Commodore,  after  the  payment  just  mentioned, 
must  have  been  of  very  insignificant  amount :  it  was  sufficient, 
however,  to  free  him  from  immediate  embarrassment,  and  his 
subsequent  busy  occupation  in  more  important  concerns  banish- 
ed all  thought  of  pecuniary  matters  from  his  mind. 

The  effort  to  stop  short  in  a  long  indulged  career  of  extrava- 
gance and  profusion  in  the  expenditure  of  money,  is  generally 
acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  most  arduous  and  difficult  trials 
of  life.  The  conviction  that  such  an  effort  is  necessary  is,  in- 
deed, seldom  admitted  until  the  heedless  prodigal,  like  the  un- 
believing Didymus,  is  made  to  feel  the  reality  of  the  proof — 
and  then  it  too  often  leads  to  a  mere  relinquishment  of  former 
habits,  instead  of  rousing  the  mind  to  a  new  and  different  course 
of  action.  But,  however  true  it  may  be  that  the  Commodore's 
pecuniary  resources  were  greatly  impaired  and  deranged,  by 
imprudence  and  want  of  economy  in  their  management,  they 
were  certainly  never  reduced  to  so  desperate  a  state  as  to  justi- 
fy the  fears  that  now  assailed  him  —  he  was  still  the  possessor 
of  a  princely  territory  in  the  state  of  Kentucky;  the  farm  on 
which  he  resided  (which  was  the  property  of  his  wife,)  supplied 
him  with  all  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life  ;  his  children 
were  all  married  and  doing  well,  neither  dependent  upon  him, 
nor  having  the  slightest  claim  to  any  further  expectations  from 
him  ;  — <  and  yet  we  find  him  gloomy,  despondent,  and  queru- 
lous. From  his  letter  to  his  friend  Mr  Roberts,  written  at  the 
close  of  this  year,  we  learn  that  he  had  applied  to  the  President 
soon  after  the  peace,  for  a  Consulship,  but  that  his  application 
1  met  with  disappointment.'  He  speaks  in  it,  feelingly,  of  the 
'  cold  neglect  of  those  in  power,'  and  complains  that  the  Execu- 
tive had  never  even  mentioned  his  name  in  his  communications  to 
Congress,  although  he  had  granted  brevet  promotion  to  two 
officers  under  his  command.     He   considered  this  omission  as 


284 


MEMOIR  OP 


implying  the  President's  belief,  that  he  had  not  done  his  duty, 
and  adds,  'Be  it  so  !  I  leave  my  country  to  judge  —  this  is  my 
consolation.'  Again,  he  says  :  '  Last  session  when  Congress  so 
liberally  voted  thanks  to  some  and  swords  to  others,  I  never 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  name  brought  up,  though  the 
Legislature  of  Georgia  communicated  their  thanks  through  the 
Governor  of  that  State  to  me  on  the  affair  of  Bladensburg.'  — 
'  Thus  you  see  "  kissing  goes  by  favor"  —  Such  things,  my  dear 
sir,  would  almost  convince  me  "  republics  are  ungrateful."  When 
I  recollect  that  such  men  as  ***  by  favor,  may  boldly  enter 
the  inner  galleries  of  the  halls  of  legislation  and  be  seated  among 
the  select,  while  others  with  disabled  bodies,  and  leaning  on 
crutches,  are  to  seek  a  cold  seat  in  the  outer  galleries,  if  they 
can  make  their  way  to  such  a  one  !  —  my  dear  sir,  let  me  die 
rather  than  realize  such  a  sight !' 

That  wre  have  been  right  in  attributing  this  depression  of  spirits 
and  disposition  to  complain,  to  the  pain  and  sufferings 
1816  of  the  body,  rather  than  to  causes  which  we  believe  had 
no  existence  but  in  his  own  imagination,  seems  to  be 
confirmed  by  the  fact,  that  as  his  health  returned  and  he  was 
able  to  move  about  upon  his  crippled  limb  without  assistance, 
the  natural  gayety  and  cheerfulness  of  his  temper  were  soon 
restored,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  '  neglected  merit,'  or 
'  disappointed  hopes.'  During  the  summer,  he  was  well  enough 
to  make  an  occasional  short  visit  to  Washington,  or  toBalti- 
more,  and  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  management  of  his  farm. 
He  became  once  more  the  life  and  delight  of  his  domestic  cir- 
cle, enjoyed  a  social  intercourse  with  his  neighbors,  inquired 
into  and  relieved  the  distresses  of  the  poor  in  his  vicinity,  and 
was  as  happy  a  country  gentleman  as  any  the  county  could 
produce. 

He  continued  thus  tranquil  and  contented,  until  the  autumn 
of  1816,  when  his  love  of  rambling  again  seized  him,  and  he 
determined  to  undertake  a  journey  to  Kentucky,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  more  closely  looking  into  the  condition  of  his  long  neg- 
lected lands,  and  making  some  preparatory  arrangements  for 
his  final  removal  to  that  State.  As  a  proof,  however,  that  his 
desire  to  travel  proceeded  strictly  from  impatience  of  confine- 
ment, and  not  from  a  weariness  of  his  little  circle  at  home,  he 
proposed  to  his  wife,  and  her  sister,  (who  resided  with  them,) 
that  they  should  bear  him  company  in  his  peregrinations.  They 
joyfully  acceded  to  the  proposition,  and  set  about  making  their 
preparations  with  an  alacrity  that  equalled  even  his  own  habitual 
rapidity  of  motion.     The  ladies  were  both  so  expert  in  eques- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


285 


trian  exercises,  that  they  insisted  upon  making  the  journey  on 
horseback,  and  about  the  middle  of  October,  the  little  caval- 
cade took  the  road  to  the  West.  A  letter  from  the  Commo- 
dore, dated  at  Union-town  (Red  Stone)  the  30th  of  October, 
gives  the  following  graphic  sketch  of  their  progress  thus  far  :  — 
'  We  arrived  here  yesterday  at  4  o'clock,  after  travelling  the 
very  worst  roads  I  ever  saw  over  the  mountains.  We  go  into 
Brownsville  today,  where  I  mean  to  take  water,  if  possible.  — 
The  roads  are  so  cut  up  by  the  thousand  wagons  which  are  con- 
stantly travelling  West,  that  we  cannot  get  on  by  land.  —  We 
had  almost  a  fatal  accident  on  the  road  —  in  crossing  a  ford, 
about  fifty  yards  wide,  and  not  more  than  a  foot  and  a  half,  or 
two  feet,  deep,  the  horse  on  which  Maria  [the  sister  of  Mrs  B.] 
rode,  was  seized  with  njit,  and  fell  with  her  into  the  water; 
before  I  could  jump  from  my  horse  and  run  to  her  relief,  she 
was  nearly  drowned,  her  foot  being  entangled  in  the  stirrup  so 
as  to  prevent  her  rising. —  I  soon  extricated  her,  however,  and 
no  ill  consequences  have  followed  her  ducking  —  on  the  con- 
trary, her  health  is  much  improved,  and  we  are  all  well  —  my 
horses  are  excellent  —  love  to  all ! ' 

The  next  we  hear  of  him  is  at  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  where 
he  arrived  about  the  beginning  of  December.  He  was  receiv- 
ed by  the  wTarm  hearted  citizens  of  this  place  with  a  kindness 
and  distinction  the  most  gratifying;  and  on  the  26th  he  was  in- 
vited by  them  to  partake  of  a  public  entertainment,  given  ex- 
pressly with  a  view  to  show  their  sense  of  his  eminent  services. 
At  this  entertainment,  the  distinguishing  '  toast'  was  :  '  Our 
welcome  guest,  Commodore  Barney — so  long  as  bravery  shall 
constitute  a  trait  in  the  American  character,  so  long  will  his  fame 
rank  high  in  the  annals  of  his  country.'  It  was  echoed  by  every 
individual  present  with  enthusiastic  acclamations,  and  each  man 
seemed  to  feel  a  personal  pride  in  making  the  welcome  his  own. 
The  Commodore,  though  altogether  unskilled  in  the  art  of  '  ta- 
ble oratory,'  was  spurred  by  his  grateful  feelings  to  attempt  a 
reply,  which,  we  think,  not  only  deserves  to  be  remembered,  but 
is  worthy  of  all  imitation,  not  less  from  its  Spartan  brevity  than 
for  the  noble  spirit  of  its  sentiments  —  *  Gentlemen  ! '  said  he, 
'The  honor  which  you  have  just  conferred  on  me,  claims  my 
sincere  thanks  !  It  is  the  only  reward  a  republican  soldier  should 
ask.  —  That  independence  which  1  contributed  to  establish  in 
the  revolution,  and  to  maintain  in  the  late  war,  I  am  ready  to 
support  with  the  last  drop  of  my  blood.' 

Four  days  after  he  had  been  thus  honored  by  the  hospitable 
and  patriotic   citizens  of  Frankfort,  the   members  of  the  State 


286 


MEMOIR  OF 


Legislature,  which  was  then  in  session,  offered  him  the  same 
mark  of  welcome,  in  the  name  of  their  constituents  at  large  ; 
and  on  the  30th  he  was  again  the  distinguished  guest  at  a  public 
dinner,  at  which  most  of  the  members,  of  both  Houses;  were 
present.  The  '  toasts'  on  this  occasion,  which  are  reported  in 
the  newspapers  of  the  day,  all  breathe  a  spirit  of  devoted  pat- 
riotism, and  evince  that  generous  disposition,  which  is  always 
to  be  found  among  a  brave  and  independent  people,  to  give 
'  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due.'  Among  others  was  the  follow- 
ing : — '  Commodore  Barney,  our  gallant  guest  —  Two  wars, 
the  land  and  the  ocean,  bear  witness  that  he  is  a  patriot  and  a 
soldier.'  —  If  it  should  be  thought  that  the  reply  of  the  guest 
to  this  flattering  sentiment,  smacked  a  little  too  much  of  the 
'play  of  battle,'  we  offer  as  some  palliation  of  the  fault,  that  it 
was  made  after  many  a  previous  bumper  had  travelled  its  un- 
sparing round.  We  copy  his  '  speech'  on  the  occasion  from 
Niles's  Register  —  *  Gentlemen  !  —  The  testimony  of  respect 
which  you  have  this  day  given,  is  doubly  dear  to  me,  as  com- 
ing from  the  legislature  of  Kentucky.  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  be  in  seventeen  battles  during  the  revolution,  in  all  of  which 
the  star-spangled  banner  triumphed  over  the  bloody  cross,  and 
in  the  late  war  I  had  the  honor  of  being  engaged  in  nine  bat- 
tles, with  the  same  glorious  result,  except  in  the  last,  in  which 
I  was  unfortunate,  though  not  in  fault.  If  there  had  been  with 
me  2,000  Kentuckians,  instead  of  7,000  Marylanders,  Wash- 
ington City  would  not  have  been  sacked,  nor  our  country  dis- 
graced. —  If  my  arrangements  shall  permit,  it  is  my  intention 
to  become  a  citizen  of  Kentucky  —  and  when  I  die,  I  know 
that  my  bones  will  repose  among  congenial  spirits.' 

The  members  of  the  legislature  of  Kentucky  did  not  con- 
tent themselves  with  this  extra  official  act  of  hospitality,  but  re- 
newed it  in  a  more  memorable  form,  by  introducing  in  their 
assembled  legislative  capacity  the  following  preamble  and  reso- 
lution, which  were  passed  unanimously  :  — 

1  The  arrival  of  Commodore  Joshua  Barney  in  Kentucky,  at 
this  time,  revives  in  our  recollection  the  distinguished  services 
of  that  gallant  officer,  during  the  late  war,  and  particularly  at 
Bladensburg  —  Wherefore 

1  Resolved,  by  the  legislature  of  Kentucky,  That  the  military 
conduct  and  achievements  of  that  gentleman  during  the  late 
war,  and  on  the  aforesaid  memorable  occasion,  deserves,  and 
has,  the  admiration  of  the  legislature  of  Kentucky.'* 

*  Niles's  Register,  Vol.  XI.  p.  407. 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


287 


Thus  kindly  and  hospitably  treated  at  Frankfort,  by  all  classes 
of  its  citizens,  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  the  Commodore 
delayed  his  departure  from  that  place  for  several  weeks,  nor 
that  he,  and  the  ladies  of  his  family,  received  the  most 
1817  favorable  impressions  of  the  State,  in  which  he  had  al- 
ready decided  to  fix  his  future  residence.  He  was  but 
ill  provided,  however,  for  the  many  large  drafts  which  were  made 
upon  his  purse  by  his  long  continuance  in  this  western  capital. 
Having  calculated  simply  upon  the  expenses  of  travelling  in  his 
usual  mode  of  rapidity,  the  cost  of  remaining  so  long  stationary 
at  a  tavern,  was  of  course  an  extra  item,  which  had  escaped 
consideration.  But  in  addition  to  the  heavy  expense  of  board- 
ing a  family  in  a  city  hotel,  the  Commodore  met  with  several 
demands  upon  him  here,  the  existence  of  which  had  not  en- 
tered his  mind  when  he  left  home.  —  It  seems,  that,  some  time 
in  the  course  of  the  summer,  having  received  information  that 
a  number  of  persons  had  settled  upon  his  lands,  who  would  very 
soon  have  it  in  their  power  to  bid  him  defiance,  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  '  Act  of  Limitations,'  unless  some  legal  steps  were 
promptly  taken  to  eject  them,  he  had  given  orders  to  have  the 
proper  writs  issued  against  them  from  the  federal  court,  and 
had  probably  never  thought  of  the  circumstance  again,  until  it 
was  now  brought  to  his  recollection  in  the  disagreeable  shape 
of  bills  for  '  fees,'  from  the  Marshal,  Clerk,  and  Attorney. 
These  officers  had  immediately  executed  their  several  portions 
of  his  order  for  the  writs,  and  now  required  —  as  men  of  the 
law  are  everywhere  wont  to  do  —  prompt  payment  for  their 
services.  The  necessity  of  complying  with  these  demands  — 
and  everybody  knows  that  law-fees  are  not  generally  '  trifles' 
—  so  reduced  his  funds,  that,  as  he  expressed  it  in  a  letter  to 
one  of  his  sons,  he  was  '  run  ashore,  and  obliged  to  make  a 
borrow,'  to  enable  him  to  pursue  his  journey  to  Louisville. 
The  sum  which  he  borrowed,  however,  must  have  been  small, 
as  we  find  it  nearly  exhausted  by  the  time  he  reached  Louis- 
ville, from  which  place  he  wrote  thus  to  his  son  Louis,  on  the 
5th  January.  — '  Finding  my  cash  would  not  hold  out  for  what 
was  yet  to  be  done,  I  drew  upon  you  yesterday  for  $300  at  1 0 
days,  which  1  beg  you  will  meet  —  the  $300,  I  have  to  receive 
(due  1st  this  month)  for  my  six  months'  'pension*  shall  be 
transferred  to  you  to  pay  it.'  —  Upon  the  prospect  of  accomplish- 

*  A  pension  of  six  hundred  dollars  per  annum  had  been  granted  him  by- 
Congress,  from  the  1st  of  May,  1815.  This  pension  was,  after  his  death, 
renewed  to  his  widow  for  ten  years,  and  is,  we  believe,  still  continued  to 
her. 


288 


MEMOIR  OF 


ing  the  object  oi  his  journey,  he  wrote  in  high  spirits  — '  I  feel 
bold?  says  he, '  as  to  the  recovery  of  my  lands,  which  will  be^a 
large  estate  to  me  yet — my  titles  are  the  best  on  record,  and 
the  boundaries  good. —  May-term,  I  hope,  will  settle  the  busi- 
ness to  my  satisfaction.' 

He  left  Louisville  on  the  day  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  and 
proceeded  directly  to  Elizabeth,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which 
his  lands  were  situated.  Arrived  here,  he  very  soon  discovered 
that  he  had  been  too  sanguine  in  his  hopes  of  an  easy  and 
speedy  settlement  of  the  difficulties,  which  must  always  attend 
the  taking  possession  of  land  after  it  has  been  suffered  to  re- 
main for  thirty  years  without  an  apparent  owner.  As  the  mea- 
sures he  was  compelled  to  pursue,  furnish  a  somewhat  curious 
example  of  the  carelessness  of  original  grantors  and  grantees 
in  defining  the  limits  of  their  western  lands,  we  shall  endeavor 
to  give  them  as  much  in  detail  as  his  several  letters  to  his  sons, 
while  engaged  in  the  occupancy,  will  enable  us.  The  original 
grant  and  survey  of  '  Barbor  and  Banks,'  which  constituted  his 
claim,  being  well  known  to  all  the  settlers  in  the  county,  he 
found  no  difficulty  in  discovering  the  location  of  his  tract,  which 
he  proceeded  to  visit  without  delay.  Many  of  the  best  parts  of 
it  were  occupied,  and  in  some  instances,  by  very  respectable 
families,  who  had  purchased  and  settled  under  what  they  sup- 
posed to  be  good  and  sufficient  titles.  Such  persons  upon 
being  made  sensible,  by  a  comparison  of  their  title  deeds  with 
the  original  grants  produced  by  the  Commodore,  very  readily 
agreed  to  a  compromise  by  which  possession  w7as  secured  to 
them  ;  but  others  refused  to  listen  to  any  terms  whatever,  and 
determined  to  put  him  to  the  expense  and  trouble  of  making 
good  his  title  in  law.  It  thus  became  necessary  for  him  to  es- 
tablish his  boundary  lines,  and  a  number  of  surveyors  were 
immediately  employed  to  ascertain  and  measure  them.  But 
here  a  difficulty  occurred  at  the  threshold,  which  ^threatened 
for  some  time  to  impede  all  his  efforts  to  establish  a  claim  to  the 
occupied  farms.  The  beginning  could  not  be  ascertained ; 
no  person  on  the  land  seemed  to  be  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  its  position  to  give  the  requisite  information  ;  and  some  of 
them  added  to  his  vexation,  by  declaring  that  if  they  knew  they 
would  rather  destroy  all  traces  of  it  than  point  it  out  to  the 
surveyors. 

In  this  perplexity,  the  Commodore  resorted  to  the  expedient 
of  offering  a  reward  of  one  hundred  dollars  to  any  one  who 
should  designate  the  spring  and  the  trees,  which  the  survey 
called  for  as  the  place  of  beginning.     This  advertisement,  in  a 


COMMODORE  BARiNEV. 


289 


little  while,  brought  before  him  an  old  hunter,  who  said  he 
thought  he  could  conduct  him  to  the  very  spot —  he  was  not 
very  positive,  but  it  was  his  impression  that  the  spring  called 
for,  had  been  for  many  years  a  deer-lick,  and  '  if  I  am  not  mis- 
taken,' continued  the  old  man,  '  I  have  killed  many  a  deer 
upon  the  spot.'  The  offered  services  of  the  old  hunter  were 
accepted,  as  a  guide  ;  and  the  Commodore  and  his  surveyors, 
attended  by  a  number  of  the  settlers  on  his  lands,  set  forth  in 
search  of  the  desired  spring.  After  pursuing  a  small  deer-path 
for  many  miles,  through  a  wild  and  dreary  forest,  the  old  hunt- 
er at  length  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  and  rugged  precipice, 
and  pointing  to  a  stream  of  water  that  gushed  from  its  sides, 
pronounced  it  to  be  the  spring  in  question.  Its  position,  how- 
ever, and  the  surrounding  scenery,  differed  so  much  from  the 
description  in  the  survey,  that  all  present  declared  him  to  be 
wrong,  and  the  Commodore  began  to  think  that  he  had  been 
employed  purposely  to  lead  him  astray.  The  hunter  persisted 
in  asserting  the  correctness  of  his  memory  —  he  had  been 
present  when  the  original  survey  was  made  —  £and  there,'  said 
he,  after  looking  around  with  the  keen  eye  of  an  experienced 
woodsman, '  are  the  trees  which  I  helped  to  notch!'  —  The 
trees  thus  indicated  stood  upon  the  brink  of  the  precipice  im- 
mediately over  the  spring,  but  upon  recurring  to  the  record, 
it  was  observed  that  their  relative  position  as  it  regarded  the 
spring,  did  not  at  all  correspond  with  the  terms  of  the  call  in 
that  instrument.  Vexed  at  being  so  much  doubted  and  con- 
tradicted, by  men  who  knew  nothing  of  the  localities,  the  old 
man  at  last  said,  he  did  not  care  what  their  papers  might  say, 
but  he  would  take  his  oath  those  were  the  very  trees  from 
which  the  surveyors  started  to  run  out  Barbour  and  Banks' 
grant,  and  if  they  would  cut  into  them  deep  enough,  he  was 
sure  they  would  find  the  notches  and  other  marks  which  had 
been  put  upon  them  at  that  time.  It  was  with  no  very  strong 
reliance  upon  the  assurances  of  the  hunter,  that  the  surveyors 
began  at  length  to  cut  into  the  bodies  of  the  trees,  but  their 
labor  was  soon  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  the  identical 
marks  so  minutely  described  in  the  patent ;  and  what  served 
still  further  to  confirm  the  identity  of  the  trees,  was,  that  as 
each  year's  growth  of  the  trees  was  readily  distinguished,  their 
sum  corresponded  exactly  with  the  number  of  years  since  the 
survey  had  been  made.  There  was  no  longer  a  doubt  in  the 
mind  of  any  body,  and  the  old  hunter  was  made  happy  in  the 
possession  of  the  promised  reward. 

The  beginning  having  been  thus  fortunately  established,  the 
25 


290  MEMOIR  OF 

surveyors  proceeded  forthwith  to  run  the  courses  and  distances 
of  the  tract.  As  in  most  of  the  grants  of  the  period,  the  land 
was  comprised  in  a  parallelogram,  there  were  of  course  but 
four  lines  to  run,  and  the  task  was  looked  upon  as  already  more 
than  half  accomplished  ;  but  after  running  the  distance  called 
for  in  the  first  course,  they  sought  in  vain  for  the  boundary, 
from  which  they  were  to  take  their  departure  on  the  second 
course  —  it  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  This  was  another,  and 
an  unexpected  perplexity  from  which  there  seemed  to  be  no 
escape.  But  as  it  was  well  known,  that  distances  were  not 
always  accurately  measured,  one  of  the  surveyors  proposed  to 
continue  the  course,  (in  which  it  was  impossible  they  could  be 
mistaken,)  until  they  either  discovered  the  second  call,  or 
had  passed  beyond  all  reasonable  limits  of  error  in  the  distance. 
The  Commodore  agreed  to  this  advice,  almost  in  despair,  and 
they  continued  to  drag  the  chain  over  many  a  lengthened  rood, 
until  to  the  surprise  of  all,  and  the  great  delight  of  the  '  Pat- 
roon,'  they  '  hit  the  mark.'  The  second  and  third  lines  were 
run  without  difficulty,  and  the  fourth  established  the  correctness 
of  the  whole,  by  bringing  them  to  the  exact  point  from  which 
they  had  started.  By  the  calculations  from  this  measurement, 
it  was  ascertained,  that  the  contents  of  the  survey,  exceeded 
the  original  grant  to  Barbour  and  Banks,  by  nearly  twenty 
thousand  acres.  The  most  experienced  surveyor,  however, 
and  the  old  hunter,  were  at  no  loss  to  account  for  the  excess  in 
the  actual  quantity  contained  within  the  lines  —  they  stated, 
that,  at  the  period  of  the  first  survey,  that  part  of  the  country 
was  still  thickly  inhabited  by  the  Indians,  whom  it  was  not  al- 
ways safe  for  the  surveying  parties  to  meet ;  the  chain  carriers 
moved  under  a  constant  dread  of  being  attacked,  and  distances 
were  consequently  but  very  imperfectly  ascertained.  They 
thought  it  unquestionable,  that  the  original  grant  was  designed 
to  convey  all  the  land  contained  within  certain  specified  lines  ; 
as  these  lines  were  now  established  beyond  the  possibility  of 
controversy,  and  there  existed  no  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  with 
which  their  several  lengths  had  just  been  measured,  it  followed, 
they  said,  that  the  Commodore  was  fairly  and  legitimately  en- 
titled to  the  benefit  resulting  from  that  accuracy  —  and  '  all 
that  could  be  said  about  it  was,  that  he  had  made  a  better  bar- 
gain than  he  thought  of!  '  — This  was  probably  sound  reason- 
ing, valid  alike  in  law  and  equity  —  at  least  it  was  not  for  him 
who  would  be  so  much  benefited  by  acquiescence  in  it,  to  find 
objections  to  its  force,  though  we  are  persuaded  that  Commo- 
dore Barney  would  have  been  one  of  the  last  men  in  the  world 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


291 


to  claim  anything  to  which  he  had  not  a  fair  title,  or  to  profit 
by  a  mistake  to  the  injury  of  another's  interests.  In  this  case, 
it  seemed  to  be  very  clear  that  nobody  would  be  injured  —  the 
original  grantees  had  transferred  their  right  in  a  tract  of  land, 
for  more  or  less,  as  the  same  had  been  conveyed  to  them  :  if 
the  term  grant  be  used  in  its  rigid  sense,  they  of  course  paid 
nothing ;  but  if  it  be  used,  as  we  believe  it  sometimes  is  to 
signify  an  original  deed,  and  they  paid  something,  it  is  very 
certain  that  they  did  not  pay  for  more  land  than  they  received, 
and  would  therefore  have  no  more  right  to  profit  by  the  excess 
than  their  own  transferee;  —  and  as  to  the  original  proprietor 
—  whether  the  term  be  applied  to  the  King  of  England,  or  to 
his  lieutenant  in  the  colony  —  every  body  knows  the  easy  terms 
upon  which  he  acquired  the  '  right  of  property'  over  the  track- 
less forests  of  this  continent.  — -At  all  events,  every  body  con- 
cerned, seemed  to  be  satisfied  with  the  result  of  the  survey, 
and  the  Commodore  returned  from  his  wearisome  undertaking 
in  much  better  spirits  than  had  accompanied  him  in  entering 
upon  it. 

Having  thus  happily  accomplished  one  very  important  object 
of  his  present  visit  to  Kentucky,  he  made  another  effort  to  bring 
the  unauthorized  settlers  upon  his  land'to  a  compromise ;  and  as 
the  objections  of  most  of  them  had  been  removed  by  the  sur- 
vey, he  was  gratified  to  find  them  now  more  willing  to  comply 
with  his  very  reasonable  demands.  He  entered  into  arrange- 
ments with  them  for  their  permanent  occupation  of  the  respec- 
tive farms  they  had  settled,  upon  satisfactory  terms,  and  then 
prepared  to  return  once  more  to  Maryland.  He  was  now  the 
undisputed  proprietor  of  more  than  fifty  thousand  acres  of 
valuable  land,  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  a  flourishing  town,  in 
one  of  the  finest  States  of  the  Union,  and  he  had  some  right 
to  look  forward  to  the  enjoyment  of  ease  and  independence  for 
the  rest  of  his  days,  with  the  certainty  of  leaving  his  family, 
should  they  survive  him,  the  amplest  means  of  subsistence  and 
comfort. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Commodore  B.  returns  to  the  retirement  of  his  farm  on  Elk  Ridge  :  —  prepares 
for  his  removal  to  the  West.  — Death  of  the  Naval  Officer  at  Baltimore. — 
Commodore  B.  is  appointed  to  the  vacant  office  :  —  removes  with  his  family 
to  Baltimore  : — constitutes  his  son  William  his  Deputy. — Reflection  on 
his  appointment.  —  He  makes  another  visit  to  Kentucky: —  accomplishes 
his  arrangements  for  removal  thither  :  —  disposes  of  his  Elk  Ridge  farm.  — 
Last  interview  with  his  son  William  —  '  British  influence'  defined.  —  He 
leaves  Baltimore  with  all  his  family.  —  Detention  at  Brownsville.  —  He  em- 
barks for  Pittsburg  :  —  his  illness  —  Death  —  and  character. 

The  homeward  journey  of  the  Commodore  and  his  family, 
though  necessarily  slow  and  fatiguing,  was  unattended  by  any 
of  the  exciting  incidents  that  marked  his  progress  towards  the 
West.  It  was  the  loveliest  season  of  the  year,  the  weather  was 
delightful,  and  the  spirits  of  the  little  party  partook  of  the 
cheerfulness  and  joy  that  everywhere  smiled  around  them. 
They  had  made  many  friends  during  their  sojourn  at  Elizabeth, 
and  they  looked  forward  to  the  period  of  their  return  to  take  up 
a  permanent  abode  among  them,  with  the  most  pleasing  antici- 
pations. —  On  his  arrival  at  Baltimore,  he  took  time  only  to 
visit  and  greet  his  children,  all  of  whom  with  their  several  fami- 
lies were  settled  in  that  city,  and  then  retired  immediately  to  the 
privacy  of  his  farm  on  Elk  Ridge,  where  he  devoted  the  whole 
of  his  time  to  domestic  concerns.  During  this  quiet  period, 
he  enjoyed  the  most  vigorous  health,  and  rarely  complained  of 
any  inconvenience  from  his  wound,  except  that,  as  he  used 
laughingly  to  say,  it  served  him  sometimes  the  purpose  of  a  ba- 
rometer, to  indicate  the  changes  of  wind  and  weather. 

He  remained  in  his  retirement,  busied  in  directing  the  vari- 
ous arrangements  for  his  intended  removal  to  Kentucky,  until 
the  beginning  of  November,  when  he  received  from  his  old  friend, 
President  Monroe,  the  appointment  of  Naval  Officer  in  the 
Customs  at  Baltimore  —  a  post  which  had  just  become  vacant 
by  the  death  of  a  fellow-soldier  of  the  revolution,  Colonel  Na- 
thaniel  Ramsay.     Had  such  an  office  been   bestowed   upon 


MEMOIR  OF  COMMODORE  BARNEY.  293 

him  two  years  before,  there  is  no  doubt  he  would  have  aban- 
doned every  other  design,  and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the 
administration  of  its  concerns  ;  but  other  views  had  now  taken 
possession  of  his  mind,  and  though  he  accepted  the  office,  — 
which  he  regarded  at  once  as  a  merited  reward  for  his  many 
arduous  services,  and  an  honorable  mark  of  the  President's 
continued  friendship  and  esteem — it  was  only  because  he  fan- 
cied it  barely  possible  that  some  unforeseen' interruption  might 
occur  to  the  completion  of  his  Western  scheme.  He  repaired 
to  Baltimore  without  delay,  and  having  complied  with  the  usual 
formalities  of  entering  upon  office,  he  immediately  appointed 
his  son,  Major  William  B.  Barney,  his  Deputy,  and  consigned 
to  him  all  the  active  duties  of  the  station.  There  was  nothing 
in  the  nature  of  these  duties  that  rendered  his  personal  attention 
indispensable ;  and,  as  he  took  care  to  secure  the  authority  and 
approbation  of  the  executive,  for  entrusting  them  to  a  Deputy 
—  whose  capacity  for  business  he  knew  to  be  superior  to  his 
own,  and  whose  fidelity  he  could  rely  on  with  the  most  implicit 
confidence  —  no  reproach  could  justly  attach  to  him  for  ac- 
cepting the  office.  He  did  not,  however,  neglect  any  act  of 
supervision  which  the  laws  required,  and  for  several  months,  he 
attended  with  great  regularity  at  his  desk,  ready  for  any  call 
that  might  be  made  upon  his  personal  services.  The  venerable 
chief  of  the  custom-house  had  been  his  revolutionary  associate, 
a  passenger  with  him  in  the  first  voyage  he  had  made  in  his 
prize  ship,  the  '  General  Monk  '  and  never  did  two  braver 
spirits  or  more  incorruptible  patriots  meet  together  in  official 
connexion. 

In  the  succeeding  month  of  April,  the  state  of  his  private  affairs 

made  it  necessary  for  him  to  undertake  another  journey  to 
J  818     Kentucky,  and  he  obtained  from  the  proper  authorities  a 

regular  leave  of  absence  for  that  purpose.  On  this  occa- 
sion, he  travelled  alone,  and  pursuing  the  most  direct  route  to  the 
town  of  Elizabeth,  arrived  there  some  time  in  May.  He  lost 
no  time  in  giving  completion  to  those  arrangements  which  had 
required  his  presence,  and  having  exchanged  a  portion  of  his 
lands  for  a  spacious  and  comfortable  dwelling-house  in  the  vil- 
lage, —  the  titles  to  which,  unfortunately,  he  did  not  take  suffi- 
cient pains  to  examine —  he  returned  to  Baltimore,  where  he 
arrived  early  in  July.  He  resumed  immediately  his  official  at- 
tendance, if  not  his  official  duties,  at  the  custom-house,  it  being 
his  design  to  retain  the  office,  until  he  should  be  finally  settled 
in  his  adopted  State,  and  then  to  resign  it  with  an  expression  of 
his  grateful  acknowledgments  to  the  President  for  having  be- 
25* 


294  MEMOIR  OF 

stowed  it.  In  the  meantime,  the  preparations  for  the  depart- 
ure of  his  family,  and  the  necessity  of  winding  up  all  his  affairs 
in  Maryland,  kept  him  busy  until  late  in  the  autumn.  At 
length,  however,  having  found  a  purchaser  for  his  Elk  Ridge 
farm,  and  obtained  another  leave  of  absence  from  the  Treasury 
Department,  he  was  ready  to  set  out  with  all  the  adjuncts  of  final 
emigration  —  his  servants,  stock,  horses,  and  such  articles  of 
household  furniture  as  could  be  conveniently  transported. 

He  left  Baltimore  on  this  last  and  fatal  journey,  late  in  Octo- 
ber, intending  to  proceed  to  Brownsville,  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  hoped  to  find  a  ready  conveyance  down  the  Ohio  to  Pittsburg. 
After  he  was  seated  in  the  carriage  with  his  family,  and  just  about 
to  drive  off,  his  son  William  — perhaps  with  a  presentiment  that 
he  should  never  see  him  again  — went  up  to  the  door  of  the 
carriage,  and  in  a  half  whisper  to  his  father,  that  he  might  not  be 
heard  by  the  ladies,  expressed  a  wish,  if  the  Commodore  should 
die  before  him,  that  he  would  leave  orders  to  have  him  put  in 
possession  of  the  '  ounce  of  British  influence  he  had  labored 
under,  ever  since  the  battle  of  Bladensburg  !'  —  The  Commo- 
dore laughed  and  turning  to  his  wife,  said,  '  Do  you  hear  that, 
my  dear  ?  —  whenever  I  die,  remember  that  you  are  to  have  this 
cursed  ball  extracted  from  my  thigh,  and  sent  to  the  Major,  to- 
gether with  the  sword  presented  to  me  by  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton.'—  These  articles,  as  well  as  the  sword  he  wore  at  Bladens- 
burg, and  a  pair  of  highly  finished,  ancient  Scotch  belt  pistols, 
of  wrought  steel,  inlaid  with  silver,  are  now  in  the  possession  of 
his  eldest  son.  The  pistols  were  presented  to  the  Commodore 
during  the  war  of  the  revolution,  by  a  gentleman  of  Scotland  who 
had  espoused  the  rebel  cause,  by  the  name  of  Holkar,  with 
the  injunction  that  if  he  should  ever  have  a  son  who  proved  to  be 
*  as  good  a  rebel'  as  himself,  they  should  be  transferred  to  him. 

From  Brownsville,  he  wrote  a  long  letter  to  his  son  Louis, 
on  the  9th  of  November,  from  which  we  extract  a  few  para- 
graphs, not  only  as  furnishing  a  better  description  than  we  could 
otherwise  give  of  the  disappointments  and  difficulties  he  was  com- 
pelled to  encounter,  but  as  showing  his  opinions  upon  certain 
grave  subjects,  which  will  continue  to  divide  the  political  and  re- 
ligious world,  perhaps,  until  the  day  of  final  doom.  The  reader 
will  perceive  also,  from  the  manner  in  which  he  speaks  of  his 
health,  how  little  his  children  and  friends  in  Baltimore  could  be 
prepared  for  the  distressing  accounts  which  so  speedily  followed 
from  the  same  quarter.  After  giving  some  instructions  as  to  the 
disposition  of  certain  articles  of  ladies'  apparel  which  he  had 
left  behind  him,  and  referring  to  further  directions  to  be  given 


COMMODORE   BARNEY. 


295 


on  his  arrival  in  Kentucky,  he  adds  :  — '  but  I  have  my  doubts, 
and  serious  ones  too,  whether  I  shall  get  there  this  winter  — 
there  is  no  water  in  the  river  ;  all  the  goods  that  have  been  sent 
out  for  the  last  six  weeks,  are  still  here  and  at  Pittsburg.  —  I 
am  here  at  tavern  expenses,  which  will  ruin  me  if  kept  up  much 
longer.  —  I  shall  look  out  for  the  wardrobe;  it  ought  to  be  here 
to  day  or  tomorrow. 

*  The  weather  is  fine,  indeed  !  and  not  the  least  appearance 
of  rain,  so  that  I  am  losing  my  patience  very  fast,  as  well  as  my 
money  ! 

1  I  am  firmly  persuaded  that  the  banks  will  ruin  every  man 
that  dips  into  them  — I  never  could  bring  myself  to  think  well 
of  them,  or  of  those  that  depend  upon  them. 

I  We  are  all  in  good  health  —  /  have  not  had  any  pain  in  my 
thigh,  since  my  journey  to  Washington  in  the  stage  ! 

I I  shall  write  again  to  let  you  know  when  we  start  down  the 
river.  —  Give  our  kind  love  to  all,  and  tell  *****  not  to  de- 
spair about  the  pews  *  —  his  religion  wrill  soon  be  the  only  one 
worth  attention ;  the  times  will  bring  people  to  reason,  and  rea- 
son is  his  creed ! ' 

Notwithstanding  the  promise  to  *  write  again,'  it  appears  that 
this  was  the  last  letter  ever  received  from  the  Commodore,  who 
was  probably  kept  too  busy  in  his  preparations  until  the  moment 
of  embarkation,  and  then  thought  it  better  to  postpone  writing 
until  his  arrival  at  Pittsburg.  Jn  a  few  days  after  the  date  of 
this  letter,  he  succeeded  in  procuring  a  boat  —  which,  however, 
he  was  obliged  to  purchase  —  and  having  fitted  up  a  temporary 
cabin  in  her  for  the  accommodation  of  his  family,  and  put  on 
board  his  goods  of  every  description,  he  at  length  took  his  de- 
parture from  Brownsville.  The  extreme  lowness  of  the  wa- 
ter, rendered  the  navigation  of  the  river  almost  impracticable, 
and  created  so  many  obstacles  to  his  progress,  that  he  was  nearly 
three  weeks  in  accomplishing  the  short  passage  between  Browns- 
ville and  Pittsburg.  The  fatigue  to  which  he  exposed  himself 
during  this  passage,  and  the  anxiety  under  which  he  labored  for 
the  safety  and    comfort  of  his  family,  brought   on,   before  the 

*  The  reader  would  perhaps  hardly  he  able  to  comprehend  this  consolatory 
message,  without  a  word  of  explanation  —  A  new  church  had  then  just  been 
erected  in  Baltimore,  under  the  name  of  the  '  First  Independent  Church  of 
Baltimoie,'  or,  as  one  of  its  own  'deacons'  facetiously  called  it,  as  well  in 
allusion  to  its  situation,  it  being  vis-a-vis  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral, 
as  to  its  doctrines,  which  were  Unitarian, '  The  Opposition  Line  /'  It  was  built 
chiefly  by  the  subscription  of  a  few  individuals,  who  looked  to  be  repaid  in 
part  for  their  advances,  by  the  sale  of  the  Pews  — which  were  probably  for 
6ome  time   «  a  dull  article'  in  the  market. 


296 


MEMOIR  OF 


end  of  the  second  week,  a  violent  attack  of  bilious  fever,  which 
in  a  few  days,  however,  seemed  so  far  abated,  that  he  thought 
himself  convalescent,  or  at  least  endeavored  to  persuade  his  fam- 
ily to  believe  so,  by  assuring  them,  that  there  was  no  cause  for 
apprehension.  — '  I  shall  be  well  again  in  a  day  or  two  !'  he  re- 
plied to  their  anxious  inquiries  and  looks  of  alarm.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  short  interval  of  apparent  convalescence,  that  he  arrived 
at  Pittsburg,  but  was  unable  to  leave  his  boat.  A  physician 
was  called  to  him  immediately  after  his  arrival,  to  whom  he  com- 
plained of  pain  in  the  back  and  sore  throat,  for  which  a  blister 
was  ordered.  This  was  on  Thursday,  the  26th  of  November  ; 
on  Friday  he  remained  in  bed  all  day,  and  suffered  under  a 
difficulty  of  speaking,  occasioned  by  the  increased  soreness  of 
his  throat.  On  Sunday  he  was  pronounced  to  be  getting  better, 
and  on  Monday  was  so  much  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  sit  up 
for  a  short  time — that  night,  he  was  seized,  on  a  sudden,  with 
violent  spasms  in  the  wounded  limb,  which  recurred  at  short 
intervals  throughout  the  night.  On  the  morning  of  Tuesday, 
the  1st  of  December,  he  sat  up  and  bathed  his  feet:  immedi- 
ately after  returning  to  bed,  another  spasm  seized  him,  which 
lasted  but  for  a  moment,  but  in  that  moment  his  gallant  spirit 
returned  to  Him  who  had  given  it.  —  Thus  died  this  patriot  hero 
at  the  age  of  fiftynine  years  and  six  months  ! 

In  obedience  to  his  previous  orders,  the  ball  —  to  the  effects 
of  which  we  may  safely  attribute  his  death  —  was  sought  for 
after  his  demise,  by  the  physicians  who  had  attended  him,  it  was 
found  within  a  few  inches  of  the  point  at  which  it  had  entered 
the  thigh.  It  appeared  to  have  passed  just  under,  and  grazing, 
the  right  hip  joint,  by  which  it  was  flattened  and  its  direction  chang- 
ed so  as  to  bring  it  down  the  inside  of  the  thigh,  where  it  proba- 
bly remained  for  several  months,  until,  by  the  Commodore's  fre- 
quent exercise  on  horseback,  it  was  gradually  forced  back  along 
the  channel  which  itself  had  made  towards  the  point  of  entrance. 
The  experienced  in  such  matters,  who  have  seen  the  ball,  pro- 
nounce it  to  have  been  discharged  from  a  rifle  —  a  fact  which 
may  serve  to  settle  the  disputed  question  among  the  British  sol- 
diers, to  which  corps  belonged  the  honor  of  having  brought 
down  the  American    commander. 

His  remains  were  interred,  on  the  day  after  his  decease  —  in 
the  burial  ground  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  and  we  learn 
from  the  Pittsburg  papers  of  the  day,  that  every  class  of  citizens 
united  in  paying  honor  to  the  occasion.  '  Although  he  died 
among  strangers,  yet  his  fellow-citizens  were  not  strangers  to  his 
distinguished   worth  and  services.     The  manner  in  which  the 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


297 


last  sad  rites  were  performed  to  his  memory,  and  the  immense 
concourse  which  attended  on  the  occasion,  mournfully  evinced 
the  high  interest  they  felt  in  witnessing  the  departure  of  another 
of  thejevolutionary  heroes.'*  Another  paper  of  the  same  place 
says  :  *  Every  respect  was  shown  to  the  memory  of  this  gallant 
and  celebrated  officer,  which  times  and  circumstances  would 
admit  of.  As  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution,  he  was  be- 
loved and  respected  ;  and,  as  the  champion  of  Bladensburg,  he 
was  everywhere  received  with  enthusiasm. 'f 

We  will  not  attempt  to  paint  the  distress  of  his  widow,  and 
that  part  of  his  family  who  had  accompanied  him,  thus  suddenly 
bereaved  of  a  beloved  protector  and  friend,  in  a  land  of  entire 
strangers.  The  heart  of  sensibility  will  readily  conceive  the 
depth  of  grief  into  which  they  must  have  been  plunged.  —  As 
soon  after  the  mournful  ceremony  of  interment  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  Mrs  Barney  continued  her  voyage  down  the  river 
to  Louisville,  and  thence  proceeded  by  land  to  the  home  which 
had  been  provided  for  her  at  Elizabeth,  and  which  she  had  so 
lately  hoped  to  occupy  under  happier  auspices.  Here,  however, 
she  was  not  suffered  to  remain  long  undisturbed  —  difficulties 
were  created  as  to  the  validity  of  the  titles  under  which  the  ex- 
change of  property  had  been  made,  and  she  preferred  to  give  up 
the  house  at  once,  to  the  alternative  of  engaging  in  a  law-suit. 
She  accordingly  returned  to  Louisville,  where  she  still  resides, 
esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  know  her. 

A  monument  was  subsequently  erected,  at  the  expense  of 
the  widow,  under  the  tasteful  direction  of  James  Riddle,  Esq., 
of  Pittsburg,  composed  of  a  plain  marble  slab,  resting  upon  a 
granite  base,  and  supported  by  six  handsomely  turned  pillars,  or 
balusters,  of  the  same  material.  It  is  unostentatious,  but  neat 
and  durable  ;  and  a  plain  and  simple  inscription  tells  the  specta- 
tor, upon  whose    earthly  habitation  it  is  that  he   stands  to  gaze. 

The  melancholy  intelligence  of  his  death  reached  Baltimore 
on  the  7th  of  December ;  and  at  an  extra  session  of  the  City 
Councils,  held  shortly  afterwards,  the  following  Resolution  was 
passed,  which  will  serve  to  show  the  respect  entertained  for  his 
memory  by  his  native  City  :  — 

1  Resolved,  by  thq  Mayor  and  City  Council  of  Baltimore, 
That  the  Mayor,  and  Presidents  of  the  two  branches,  be,  and 
they  are  hereby,  authorized  and  requested  to  employ  Mr  Rem- 
brandt Peale  to  execute,  from  the  best  likeness  that  can  be  ob- 

*  Pittsburg  Mercury.  t  Pittsburg  Statesman. 


298 


MEMOIR  OF 


tained  in  this  City,  a  portrait  of  our  late  gallant  and  distinguished 
fellow  citizen,  Commodore  Joshua  Barney;  and  that  the 
said  portrait  be  placed  in  the  chamber  of  the  first  branch,  as  a 
testimony  of  respect  for  his  memory  and  gratitude  for  his  patri- 
otic services.' 

A  few  day  previous  to  his  first  departure  from  Baltimore,  in 
April,  the  Commodore  executed  a  Will,  by  which  he  bequeath- 
ed the  dwelling-house  and  ground  attached  thereto,  in  the  town 
of  Elizabeth,  Kentucky,  five  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Harden 
County,  his  slaves,  furniture,  horses,  carriages,  plate,  and  all  the 
rest  of  his  property  real,  personal  or  mixed,  not  otherwise  de- 
vised by  the  said  Will,  to  his  wife,  Harriet  Barney  —  subject  to 
certain  contingencies,  in  the  event  of  her  contracting  another 
marriage  :  —  five  thousand  acres  of  land,  being  part  of  the  same 
Lract,  to  his  daughter  Mrs  Caroline  Williams:  —  five  thousand 
acres,  to  Anna  Maria  Coale,  his  wife's  sister  : —  one  thousand 
acres  to  his  neice  Elizabeth  Young :  —  and  the  residue  of  his  lands 
to  be  equally  divided  among  his  grandchildren,  the  offspring  of 
William,  Louis,  and  John  Barney,  and  Caroline  Williams.  Of 
these  residuary  legatees,  however,  we  have  reason  to  believe 
that  not  one  has  derived,  or  is  likely  to  derive,  the  slightest  bene- 
fit from  the  bequest.  The  titles  to  the  lands,  which  were 
thought  so  indisputable  in  the  lifetime  of  the  testator,  have  since 
become  the  subjects  of  tedious  and  expensive  lawsuits,  which 
will  probably  end  in  swallowing  up   their  whole  value. 


Could  we  be  vain  and  confident  enough  to  persuade  ourself, 
that  due  justice  had  been  done  to  our  subject  in  the  foregoing 
pages,  we  might  here  consider  our  task  as  finished,  and  throw 
down  the  pen  —  leaving  it  to  every  reader  to  exercise  his  own 
judgment  in  giving  such  a  character  to  the  life  we  have  exhibit- 
ed, as  the  materials  before  him  might  seem  to  justify.  But  we 
are  sufficiently  conscious  of  our  numerous  deficiencies,  in  a 
branch  of  composition  entirely  new  to  us,  to  be  convinced,  that 
we  ought  to  follow  the  example  of  the  humble  sign-painter  — 
who  thought  it  necessary  to  write  under  his  picture  of  the  king 
of  the  forest,  '  this  is  a  lion'  —  by  winding  up  our  labors  with 
an  explicit  enunciation  of  the  character  we  intended  —  but  may 
have  failed  —  to  portray. 

An  occasion  has  heretofore  presented  itself,  in  the  course  of 


COMMODORE  BARNEV. 


299 


the  narrative,  to  speak  of  the  personal  appearance  of  Commo- 
dore Barney  ;  and  we  might,  perhaps,  deem  it  sufficient  to  re- 
fer the  reader  to  the  English  Proclamation,  —  in  which  a  price 
was  set  upon  his  head,  and  which  was  shouted  forth,  at  the 
sound  of  the  bell,  by  the  town-crier  of  Plymouth,  so  much  to 
the  alarm  of  his  friends  —  were  it  not,  that  the  description  there 
given,  did  not  serve  to  identify  him,  in  the  opinion  of  the  senti- 
nel, who  examined  him  on  that  occasion  with  great  strictness, 
and  suffered  him  to 'pass  as  not  at  all  resembling  the  advertised 
deserter  from  Mill  Prison.  We  may  therefore  suppose,  either 
that  his  enemies  were  not  faithful  painters,  or  that  they  did  not 
regard  the  subject  as  worthy  of  their  best  efforts  ;  and  in  either 
case,  it  becomes  our  duty  to  supply  their  omissions.  —  In  his 
stature,  Commodore  Barney,  perhaps,  rather  fell  short  of,  than 
exceeded,  what  is  generally  understood  by  the  '  middle  size  ; ' 
but  his  form  was  a  model  of  perfect  symmetry,  combining  in  a 
remarkable  degree  the  close  knit,  muscular  strength  and  vigor 
of  an  Ajax,  with  the  graceful  proportions  of  an  Antinous.  His 
forehead,  nose,  and  mouth,  were  of  the  finest  Grecian  mould  ; 
his  eyes  a  sparkling  black  —  full,  liquid,  and  so  peculiarly  ex- 
pressive, that,  to  those  who  knew  him  well,  language  was  scarce- 
ly necessary  to  interpret  the  various  emotions  that  rapidly  suc- 
ceeded each  other  in  his  mind.  When  excited,  there  was  a 
lightning-like  splendor  in  the  confiscations  of  his  glance,  that 
few  persons  could  meet  without  perturbation.  Upon  the  whole, 
his  features  were  strikingly  handsome  ;  and  the  general  air  of 
his  countenance,  when  not  disturbed  by  any  moving  passion, 
was  eminently  benignant  and  prepossessing.  In  his  dress,  he 
wras  scrupulously  attentive  to  neatness  and  propriety ;  in  his 
manners,  he  was  graceful,  easy,  courteous,  and  polished.  — 
Having,  in  his  early  life,  received  nothing  more  than  the  rudi- 
ments of  a  common  English  education  ;  and  having  been,  al- 
most from  the  moment  of  quitting  school,  constantly  employed 
in  the  active  and  laborious  duties  of  his  profession,  it  could 
hardly  be  expected,  that  his  acquirements  should  be  very  ex- 
tensive, or  very  various.  But,  though  the  fondest  partiality  of 
friendship  may  not  ascribe  to  him  the  elegant  accomplishments 
of  a  scholar,  it  may  with  great  justice  be  said  of  him,  that  few 
men  were  ever  more  profoundly  versed  in  those  branches  of 
science,  the  knowledge  of  which  is  indispensable  to  the  attain- 
ments of  eminence  in  the  nautical  profession.  His  arithmeti- 
cal proficiency,  which  formed  his  boast  when  a  boy,  served  as 
a  foundation  which  enabled  him  afterwards,  with  comparatively 
little  labor,  to  pursue  the  more  abstruse  branches  of  mathemat- 


300 


MEMOIR  OF 


ics,  astronomy,  geography,  and  navigation,  with  great  success. 
These,  it  will  be  allowed,  are  studies,  the  mastery  of  which 
evidences  the  possession  of  an  intellect  capable  of  receiving  the 
highest  order  of  cultivation  —  and  such,  we  are  convinced, 
under  other  circumstances,  would  have  been  found  to  be  the 
capacity  which  nature  had  bestowed  upon  him.  In  addition  to 
these  professional  attainments  —  for  which  he  was  indebted  to 
his  own  unguided  assiduity  —  he  possessed  a  respectable  ac- 
quaintance with  history  and  politics ;  and  there  were  few  com- 
mon topics  of  conversation,  in  the  discussion  of  which  he  could 
not  bear  an  equal  share,  with  credit  to  himself.  His  concep- 
tion was  quick  and  penetrating,  and  his  conclusion  once  formed, 
there  was  seldom  much  interval  between  decision  and  action. 
If  his  opinions  were  sometimes  formed  with  too  little  delibera- 
tion, he  wras  never  too  obstinate  to  perceive  and  acknowledge 
their  error,  the  moment  his  judgment  detected  the  fallacy.  But 
it  was  only  in  matters  of  minor  importance,  that  he  ever  per- 
mitted himself  to  act  without  the  sanction  of  his  judgment :  it 
was  rare,  indeed,  where  the  lives  or  interests  of  others  were 
staked  upon  his  conduct,  to  find  him  wanting,  either  in  concep- 
tion or  execution.  —  His  temperament  was  enthusiastic  and  ar- 
dent —  qualities,  which  carried  him  forward  in  whatever  he 
undertook,  with  an  energy  and  diligence  of  application,  that  no 
dangers  or  difficulties  could  divert  from  its  object.  In  his  dis- 
position, he  was  kind,  affectionate,  humane,  and  charitable. 
Punctilious  in  his  notions  of  honor,  incorruptible  in  his  integrity, 
no  mean  or  sordid  feeling  ever  found  even  a  momentary  habita- 
tion in  his  bosom,  which  was  emphatically  the  abiding-place  of 
every  noble,  generous,  and  manly  virtue.  As  a  naval  com- 
mander, in  peace  or  war,  in  the  strife,  or  serenity,  of  the  ele- 
ments, he  had  no  superior,  for  prudence,  skill,  or  courage.  In 
the  face  of  an  enemy,  entire  self-possession,  heroic  daring,  and 
fearless  intrepidity,    were  his  acknowledged  characteristics  — 

*  But,  the  battle  once  ended  —  ' 

the  conquered  foe  found  in  him  a  sympathizing  brother,  a  kind  and 
tender  nurse,  ready  to  pour  the  healing  balsam  into  the  wounds 
he  had  made,  whether  of  the  body  or  spirit.  In  the  cause  of 
suffering  humanity,  at  all  times,  and  under  all  circumstances, 
his  heart,  his  hand,  and  his  purse,  were  alike  ready  to  extend 
the  relief  of  sympathy,  service,  and  money.  The  meanest 
beggar  never  appealed  to  his  charity  in  vain.  —  He  was  a  pa- 
triot, in  the  noblest  sense  of  the  term,  in  principle,  sentiment, 
and  conduct.     As  a  friend,  he  was  zealous,  sincere,  and  faith- 


COMMODORE  BARNEY. 


301 


ful ;  as  a  neighbor,  kind,  obliging,  and  social ;  as  a  companion, 
frank,  cheerful,  and  entertaining.  In  his  family  circle,  he  was 
beloved  with  entire  devotion  —  a  fact  which  in  itself,  consti- 
tutes the  highest  eulogy,  that  could  be  pronounced  on  his  charac- 
ter, in  the  several  relations  of  domestic  life.  Those  who  had 
once  served  under  his  command  —  strict  as  he  was  in  the  en- 
forcement of  the  most  rigid  discipline  and  subordination  — 
were  always  ready  to  offer  their  services  a  second  time,  and 
to  look  upon  their  acceptance  as  a  proud  distinction.  His  in- 
feriors and  dependants,  of  every  class,  revered  and  loved  him 
with  a  sincerity  of  attachment  that  nothing  but  death  could 
have  dissolved.  —  Such  was  the  character  of  Joshua  Barney. 
If,  in  this  delineation,  we  have  avoided  bringing  into  view  any 
of  the  failings,  from  which,  as  a  human  being,  he  could  not 
have  been  exempt,  it  is  not  because  we  have  desired  to  represent 
him  as  a  c  faultless  monster'  — but  because  those,  whom  they 
most  nearly  concerned,  and  who  alone  could  have  been  injured 
by  them,  were  prompt  to  forgive  and  forget  them,  in  the  con- 
templation of  his  nobler  qualities. 


%j 


APPENDIX 


NO.    I.  — p.  112. 

'The  depreciations  upon  the  commerce  of  Philadelphia,  com- 
mitted in  the  Bay  and  River  Delaware,  by  the  armed  ships  of  Bri- 
tain, and  by  picaroon  privateers,  fitted  out  at  New  York,  led  to  a 
petition  from  the  merchants  and  traders  of  the  city,  to  the  legis- 
lature of  the  State  praying  for  the  adoption  of  measures  to 
protect  their  property  ;  and  in  pursuance  thereof,  a  law  was 
passed  on  the  9th  April,  1782,  appointing  Francis  Gurney,  John 
Patton,and  William  Allibone,  commissioners  to  purchase,  man, 
and  equip  suitable  vessels  for  the  purpose,  which  armament,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  was  to  be  kept  in  service  so  long  during  the 
existence  of  the  war  as  they  might  think  necessary,  or  until 
otherwise  directed  by  the  General  Assembly.  The  funds  to 
provide  for  the  expense  of  this  armament,  were,  1st,  the  mon- 
eys arising  from  the  tonnage  of  vessels.  2.  The  moneys  arising 
from  the  impost  on  foreign  goods  ;  but  as  these  funds  might  be 
insufficient  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  armament,  so  speedily 
as  was  requisite,  and  the  merchants  and  traders  having  signified 
their  willingness  to  submit  to  a  further  impost  on  the  importa- 
tion of  goods  for  this  important  object,  additional  duties  wrere 
imposed  upon  imported  goods  equal  to  those  which  were  made 
payable  by  the  act  of  December,  1780.  Tvventyfive  thousand 
pounds  were  appropriated  for  the  armament,  and  the  commission- 
ers were  authorized  to  borrow  to  that  amount  on  the  faith  of  the 
State  funds  and  commercial  revenue,  and  to  draw  from  the  col- 
lector, from  time  to  time,  the  moneys  arising  from  the  duties 
pledged,  and  to  apply  them  to  the  repayment  of  the  sum  bor- 


304  ,    APPENDIX. 


rowed.     By  a  supplement  to  the  act,  passed  a  few  days  after 
the  first,  the  commissioners  were  authorized  to  borrow  any  ad- 
ditional sums  they  might  deem  necessary,  not  exceeding  twen- 
tyfive  thousand  pounds  ;  and  it  was  further  enacted,  that  "what- 
ever proportion  of  prize  money  shall  become  due  to  the  State 
by  means  of  captures  made  by  the  armament,  shall  be  paid  into 
the  hands  of  the  commissioners,  to  be  used  and  accounted  for 
as  they  are  directed  to  use  and  account  for  other  moneys  appro- 
priated to   raise  and  support  the    said  armament."  —  As    the 
state  of  affairs  did  not  admit  of  the  delay  attending  upon  the 
passage  of  the  law,*  the  merchants  anticipated  the  expected 
assistance  from  the   State,  and   by  loans   from   the    Bank   of 
North   America,  on  their  individual   responsibility,  purchased 
and  equipped  a  ship  in  March,  1782,  and  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Mr  Daniel  Smith,  Secretary  to  the  Commissioners,  the 
command  was  given  to  Lieutenant  Barney.  V  She  sailed  in  the 
beginning  of  April  following,  and  returned  in  three  days,  or  at 
most  four,f  with  the  prize,  the  General  Monk.  J     On  the  23d 
April,  the  commissioners  recommended  to  the  Executive  Coun- 
cil of  Pennsylvania  to  purchase  the  prize-ship,  General  Monk, 
and  they  were  authorized  to  do  so  :  and  on  the  16th  May,  Cap- 
tain Barney  was  commissioned  by  the  council  her  commander. 
The  minute  of  the  council  states  his  age  to  be  25  years,  (he 
was  not  23  until  July  of  that  year).     From  the  minutes  of  the 
council  it  appears  that  on  the  20th  May,  1782,   an  order  was 
drawn  in  favor  of  Edward   Milne,   for  the  sum  of  seventyfive 
pounds  specie  for  procuring  the  sword;  and  on  the  31st  July 
following,  another  order  for  £50,  was  drawn  on  the  same  account.' 
Letter  to  Mrs  Mary  Barney  from  JDr  Mease  of  Philadelphia, 
dated  3d  January,  1832. 


NO.   II.  — p.  115. 

<  Charleston  surrendered  on  the  12th  of  May,  1780 ;  and  before 
the  year   concluded,  Admiral  Arbuthnot   made  Mr  Rogers  a 

*  <  The  law  appointing  commissioners  for  the  defence  of  the  river,  it  is 
seen,  was  not  passed  until  the  day  after  the  capture  of  the  General  Monk.' 
Note  to  the  Letter. 

t  •  The  ship  was  owned  by  Mr  John  Willcocks,  and  when  contracted  for 
had  actually  gone  down  the  river,  outward  bound  with  a  cargo  of  flour  — 
and  after  this  was  landed,  she  was  pierced  for  guns.' — Ibid. 

X  '  The  capture  was  made  on  the  day  she  sailed,  8th  April.'  A. 


APPENDIX.  305 

master  and  commander,  and  gave  him  a  sloop  of  18  guns. 
This  sloop  had  been  an  American  privateer,  named  the  Gener- 
al Washington  ;  which  the  Admiral,  humorously  enough, 
changed  to  the  General  Monk.  While  Capt  Rogers  com- 
manded this  ship,  he  took,  or  assisted  in  taking,  more  than 
sixty  vessels  from  the  enemy,  though  he  did  not  command  her 
above  two  years.  Hi?  tast  action  in  her,  though  unsuccessful, 
did  him  so  much  cre&h  that  it  deserves  to  be  detailed  at  length. 
*  In  the  evening  of  me  7th  of  April,  1 782,  as  he  was  cruising 
off  Cape  Henlopei,  in  the  Delaware,  in  company  with  a  frigate, 
the  Quebec,  1  believe  the  same  frigate  on  board  which  Capt. 
Rogers  died,  under  Capt.  Mason,  they  discovered  eight  sail 
lying  at  anchor  in  Cape  May  road.  Though  they  could  not 
distinguish  their  force,  they  had  no  doubt  but  they  belonged  to 
the  enemy ;  and  therefore  anchored  that  night  in  such  a  posi- 
tion, as  to  prevent  their  getting  out  to  sea.  In  the  morning 
Capt.  Rogers  received  orders  from  Capt.  Mason  to  enter 
Cape  May  road,  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy,  and  to  attack  them, 
or  not,  as  he  found  it  expedient.  In  the  meantime,  he  himself 
would  proceed  higher  up,  to  prevent  them  from  running  up 
the  Delaware.  But  before  Capt.  Rogers  could  put  his  design 
in  execution,  he  saw  three  sail  standing  towards  him,  which  he 
soon  found  were  New  York  privateers.  This  he  conceived  to 
be  a  very  fortunate  incident ;  for  with  the  assistance  of  these 
privateers,  he  did  not  doubt,  but  he  should  be  able  to  capture, 
or  destroy,  the  whole  of  the  enemy's  squadron. 

*  In  the  meantime,  the  Fair  American,  one  of  the  privateers, 
joined  him ;  and  Capt.  Rogers  communicating  his  design  to 
her  commander,  received  every  promise  of  support.  But  the 
other  two  privateers  stood  aloof,  and  could  be  induced  by  no 
signal  to  join.  Capt.  Rogers  therefore,  and  his  consort,  pro- 
ceeded up  the  Bay  alone.  About  noon,  the  enemy  discovered 
them,  turning  round  Cape  May  point,  and  seemed  to  be  thrown 
into  great  confusion.  They  immediately  weighed  anchor;  but 
manifestly  appeared  undetermined  what  to  do. 

*  This  moment  of  confusion  Capt.  Rogers  seized,  and  in- 
stantly bore  up,  and  attacked  them,  being  well  seconded  by  the 
Fair  American.  A  ship  of  12  guns  immediately  struck. 
Another  of  the  same  force  ran  ashore,  and  was  deserted  by  her 
crew.  A  brig  and  two  ships  made  a  push  to  enter  Morris  river  , 
which  the  Fair  American,  endeavoring  to  prevent,  unfortunate- 
ly ran  ashore. 

'  The  enemy  seeing  this  misfortune,  began  to  take  courage : 
and  one  of  them  distinguished  by  a  broad  pendant,  made  sig- 
26* 


306 


APPENDIX. 


nals  to  the  rest.  This  ship  Capt.  Rogers  was  determined  to 
attack ;  and  if  possible  to  board  :  for  as  his  guns  were  only 
garonades,  he  had  no  opinion  of  their  strength  ;  and  was  afraid 
to  trust  them  in  a  brisk  action.  But  when  he  got  up  to  the  en- 
emy, who  stood  towards  him,  he  foivnd  she  was  so  full  of  men, 
and  so  well  provided  with  defences  against  boarding,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  alter  his  plan,  and  to  trust  the  event,  however 
unwilingly,  to  a  cannonade. 

'  He  soon  however  had  a  melancholy  proof  that  his  fears  for 
his  guns  were  too  well  founded.  As  soon  as  tVey  were  heated, 
they  became  quite  unmanageable,  and  many  ol  them  overset ; 
by  which  several  of  the  men  were  much  bruised.  The  latter 
part  of  the  action  therefore  was  carried  on  in  an  unequal  man- 
ner by  musketry,  against  cannon.  The  two  ships  had  now 
continued  thus  engaged  half  an  hour,  close  to  each  other,  when 
Captain  Rogers,  seeing  his  deck  covered  with  dead,  and 
wounded  men,  among  whom  were  four  officers,  himself  at  the 
same  time  severely  wounded  in  the  foot,  and  unable  to  stand, 
and  observing  the  enemy  preparing  to  board,  he  endeavored  if 
possible  to  get  off.  But  his  braces  and  running  rigging  were 
so  cut,  that  he  had  no  power  over  the  ship.  Finding  therefore 
that  he  was  unable  to  make  any  farther  resistance,  and  seeing  the 
frigate  too  far  oft  to  expect  any  succor  from  her,  he  was  under 
the  mortifying  necessity  of  striking  his  colors.  The  misfortune 
of  the  day  he  attributed  wholly  to  his  caronades.  His  lieuten- 
ant and  master  were  both  killed  ;  his  purser  and  boatswain 
were  wounded.  Of  his  petty  officers  and  seamen,  six  were 
killed,  and  twentynine  wTounded.  These  particulars  are  taken 
from  Captain  Rogers's  modest  [/  /]  letter  to  Admiral  Digby, 
who  commanded  in  those  seas. 

*  After  the  action,  he  and  his  men  were  carried  prisoners  to 
Philadelphia,  where  they  were  very  humanely  treated.  But  it 
was  a  moving  scene  to  see  the  distresses  of  the  men.'  —  Gilpin's 
Memoirs  of  Capt.  Rogers. 


NO.    I  I  I.  — p.  117. 

1  A  few  days  before  the  gallant  Commodore  Barney  left,  this 
port  in  the  private  armed  vessel  the  Rossie,  again  to  perform 
his  part  in  avenging  and  redressing  the  wrongs  of  his  country, 
and  we  hope,  to  make  as  much  money  as  he  wishes,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  enemy  for  himself,  as  wTe  desire  may  be  the  lot  of 
every  American  tar  so  engaged,  he  communicated  the  subse- 


APPENDIX. 


307 


quent  anecdote  to  a  friend,  recurring  to  him   by  a  conversation 
respecting  the  use  of  Marines. 

c  Among  the  many  brilliant  achievements  of  American  sea- 
men in  the  war  to  obtain  independence  [we  are  now  fighting  to 
preserve  it]  the  capture  of  the  British  national  ship  General 
Monk,  by  the  Hyder  Ally,  commanded  by  Capt.  Barney,  was 
not  the  least  remarkable.  The  American  was  in  every  respect 
of  inferior  force,  save  in  the  spirit  of  her  officers  and  crew. 
The  engagement  was  terrible,  for  the  Englishman  fought 
bravely,  and  did  not  surrender  until  a  very  uncommon  portion 
of  them  were  killed  or  disabled.  —  For  this  noble  victory 
Capt.  Barney  was  much  indebted  to  his  marines,  several  of 
whom  had  left  their  woods  and  mountains  to  meet  the  enemy 
of  their  country,  and  bring  to  the  war  their  unrivalled  skill  in 
the  use  of  small  arms.  —  Among  the  marines  was  a  "  back- 
woodsman," who,  by  a  certain  something  in  his  conduct,  had 
often  attracted  the  particular  attention  of  his  captain.  —  In  the 
very  hottest  of  the  engagement,  the  two  ships  being  within 
pistol  shot,  and  every  one  using  his  utmost  exertion,  this  man, 
two  or  three  times,  took  the  liberty  to  inquire  of  the  captain 
"  who  made  the  musket  he  was  using  ? "  As  might  be  expected, 
from  the  heat  and  hurry  of  the  occasion,  he  was  treated  very 
roughly  for  his  intrusion  — but  being  asked  why  he  made  this 
strange  inquiry,  he  said,  with  the  greatest  sangfroid,  while  he 
was  loading  his  piece,  because  it  ivas  the  best  smooth  bore  he 
ever  shot  with  in  his  life ! '  —  Niles's  Register,  vol.  n.  p.  298. 


1  A  gentleman  who  was  on  board  the  vessels  after  their  arrival 
at  Philadelphia,  gives  the  following  particulars : 

' "  T  was  then  in  Philadelphia,  quite  a  lad,  when  the  action 
took  place.  Both  ships  arrived  at  the  lower  part  of  the  city 
with  a  leading  wind,  immediately  after  the  action,  bringing  with 
them  all  their  killed  and  wounded.  Attracted  to  the  wharf  by 
the  salute  which  the  Hyder  Ally  fired,  of  thirteen  guns,  which 
was  then  the  custom,  (one  for  each  State)  I  saw  the  two  ships 
lying  in  the  stream,  anchored  near  each  other.  In  a  short  time, 
however,  they  warped  in  to  the  wharf,  to  land  their  killed  and 
wounded,  and  curiosity  induced  me,  as  well  as  many  others,  to 
go  on  board  each  vessel.  The  Hyder  Ally  was,  as  stated,  a 
small  ship  of  sixteen  six-pounders.  The  Monk,  a  king's  ship 
of  large  dimensions,  of  eighteen  nine-pounders.  The  differ- 
ence in  the  size  and  equipments  of  the  two  ships  was  matter  of 
astonishment  to  all  the  beholders.     The  General  Monk's  decks 


308  APPENDIX. 

were,  in  every  direction,  besmeared  with  blood,  covered  with 
the  dead  and  wounded,  and  resembled  a  charnel  house. 
Several  of  her  bow  posts  were  knocked  into  one ;  a  plain 
evidence  of  the  well  directed  fire  of  the  Hyder  Ally.  She 
was  a  king's  ship,  a  very  superior  vessel,  a  fast  sailer,  and  cop- 
pered to  the  bends.  I  was  on  board  during  the  time  they 
carried  on  shore  the  killed  and  wounded,  which  they  did  in 
hammocks. 

'  "  I  was  present  at  a  conversation  which  took  place  on  the 
quarter  deck  of  the  General  Monk,  between  Captain  Barney, 
and  several  merchants  in  Philadelphia.  I  remember  one  of 
them  observing,  '  Why,  Captain  Barney,  you  have  been  truly 
fortunate  in  capturing  this  vessel,  considering  she  is  so  far 
superior  to  you  in  point  of  size,  guns,  men,  and  metal.'  Yes, 
sir,  he  replied,  I  do  consider  myself  fortunate  —  when  we  were 
about  to  engage,  it  was  the  opinion  of  myself,  as  well  as  my 
crew,  that  she  would  have  blown  us  to  atoms  ;  but  we  were 
determined  she  should  gain  her  victory  dearly.  One  of  the 
wounded  British  sailors  observed  — '  Yes,  sir,  Captain  Rogers 
observed  to  our  crew,  a  little  before  the  action  commenced, 
1  Now,  my  boys,  we  shall  have  the  Yankee  ship  in  five  minutes  ;' 
and  so  we  all  thought,  but  here  we  are."  '  —  Rogers's  Biogra- 
phical Dictionary  :  Article  '  Barney.'  p.  43.. 


no.   i  v  .  —  p.m. 

Though  there  can  be  no  possible  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the 
anecdote  as  related  in  the  text,  we  deem  it  but  an  act  of  justice 
to  the  memory  of  a  vanquished  and  deceased  foe,  to  lay  be- 
fore the  reader  the  following  sketch  of  the  life  and  character  of 
Captain  Rogers,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  same  friendly 
source  from  which  Note  No.  I.  of  this  Appendix,  was  derived. 

'  The  memoirs  of  Capt.  Rogers  were  written  by  the  late 
eminent  and  Rev.  Wm.  Gilpin,  Prebendary  of  Salisbury.  Eng- 
land and  published  in  1808.  —  From  these  it  appears,  that  Capt* 
Rogers  was  born  at  Lymington,  in  theyear  J  755,  and  entered  the 
British  Navy  early  in  life,  in  the  frigate  Arethusa,  commanded 
by  the  gallant  Capt.  Hammond,  who  continued  to  be  his  invari- 
ble  friend  to  the  hour  of  his  death.  —  The  first  services  of 
young  Rogers  were  on  the  northern  coast  of  the  United  States, 
and  while  thus  engaged,  the  war  between  them  and  England 
broke  out,  and  Capt.  H.  being  appointed  to  the  Roebuck  of  44 
guns,  carried  Mr  Rogers  with  him.     In  March,  1776,  Capt.  H. 


APPENDIX. 


309 


sent  him,  under  his  second  lieutenent,  in  an   armed  tender,  to 
surprise  Lewes-Town  within  the   Capes  of  Delaware,  where 
he  soon  captured  a  sloop,  hut  in  the  end  he  himself  became 
prisoner,  owing  to  the  treachery  of  his  men,  who  uniting  with 
those  taken  in  the  sloop,  ran  her  on  shore  while  Mr  Rogers  was 
asleep.  — ■  He  was  taken  into  the  interior,   and   afterwards  sent 
to  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  then  through  Richmond  to  Char- 
lottesville, where  he  pleasantly  spent  eight  months,  with  other 
prisoners  ;  "  their  chief  employment  being  to  ramble  among  the 
woods  and   mountains,   and   to  gather  wild   fruits  and  salads, 
with  which  they  would  regale  themselves  during  the  noontide 
heats  on  the  banks  of   some  sheltered  rivulet."  —  In    April, 
1777,  they  were  marched  to  Alexandria,  from  which  place,  he 
contrived  to  escape,  with  several  others,  and  after  undergoing 
great  fatigue,  during  a  journey  of  nearly  400  miles,  reached 
the  Delaware,  where  he  had  the  happiness  to  find  the  Roebuck, 
and  to  be  joyfully  received  by  his  kind  commander  and  brother 
officers.     He  was  subsequently  in  successful  predatory  expedi- 
tions, on  the  shores  of    Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  in  cutting 
out  several  armed  vessels,   until  the   month  of  August,  1778, 
when  the  Roebuck  came  up  the  Delaware,  with  other  ships  of 
war,  to  bombard  fort  Mifflin.     He  afterwards  distinguished  him- 
self at  the  siege  of  Charleston.     The  wound  he  received  in 
his  engagement   with   the  Hyder   Ally,  obliged    him  to   use 
crutches  for  two  or  three  years,  and  rendered  him  incapable  of 
walking  any  distance   for  seven  years.     In  the  year  1787,  he 
was  made  a  post-captain,  and  employed  upon  various  occasions, 
always  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  commander  of  the  station  ;  and 
on  being  appointed  to  the  Quebec  frigate,   assisted  at  the  siege 
of  Dunkirk,   and  during  the  whole  war  with  France  was  as 
useful  on  land  as  at  sea.     He  was  esteemed  one  of  the  best 
naval  architects  in  the  service  ;  and  often  consulted  about  pro- 
jected improvements  in  the  fitting  out  of  ships  of  war.     Dur- 
ing the  year    1794,  he  was  attached  to  the  fleet  of  Admiral 
Jervis,  made  numerous  captures,  and  performed  several  acts  of 
valor,  particularly  in  the  storming  the  forts  in  St  Lucia,  Mar- 
tinique, Guadaloupe  and  Cabrit,  at  the  head  of  the  seamen  of 
the  squadron  under  his  command,  in  company  with  the  military 
force  of  the  British  army.     He  was  afterwards  sent  with  three 
frigates  to  the  coast  of  the  United  States  to  protect  the  English 
trade,  and  on  his  return  to  the  West  Indies,  he  obtained  leave 
to  go  to  England,  to  recruit  his  worn  out  health  :  —  but,  having 
visited  St  Vincents,  to  settle  the  business  of  his  prize  money, 
he  received  an  express   from  the  Government   of  Grenada' 


310  APPENDIX. 

requesting  his  assistance,  as  the  French  had  landed,  and  the 
negroes  were  in  rebellion.     Everything  of  a  private  concern 
immediately  gave  way  ;  he  instantly  weighed  anchor,  and  set 
sail  for  Grenada,  where  he  arrived  on  the  6th  of  March,  1795, 
and  was  received   by  the  terrified  inhabitants  as  a  guardian 
angel ;  but  after  two  months  incessant  duty  on  land  and  at  sea, 
he  fell  a  victim  to  the  yellow  fever,  which  raged  as  an  epi- 
demic in  the  West  Indies,  on  the  24th  of  April.     The  assem- 
bly of  Grenada  voted  the  erection  of  a  monument  over  his  re- 
mains, with  a  suitable  inscription,  expressive   of  their  gratitude 
for  the  services  he  had  rendered  the  island.  -—The  exahiple  of 
Captain  Rogers  may  be  fairly  held  up  to  all  naval  officers,  as 
highly  worthy  of  imitation.     He  was,  in  the  first  place,  a  com- 
plete seaman,  having  gone  through  all  the  degrees  of  service 
under  a  strict  disciplinarian  ;  eminently  courageous,  but  never 
rash  ;    remarkably   cool  and  present  to  himself,  a  qualification 
owing  to  which  he  never  got  into  any  difficulties  with  his  broth- 
er officers  :  in  every  business  setting  the  example  of  exertion, 
and  engaging  in  an   enterprise  with  his  whole  soul.     To  these 
points  of  character,  he   added  great  skill  in  his  profession,  and 
was  acquainted  with  every  part  of  it,  from  the  minutest  to  the 
most  important- — with  the  quality  of  a  rope,  and  the  mechan- 
ism of  a  ship,  and  could   steer  her  course  with  judgment  as  he 
could  form  her  in   a  line  of  battle.     He  was  equally  useful  in 
the  domestic  government  of  the  ship,  as  in  the  conduct  of  her 
in  battle,  and  was  such  a   favorite  that  upon  one  occasion  two 
admirals  contended   under  which   of  them    he  should    serve. 
No  officer  had  more  the  art,  than  he  had,  of  inspiring  his  men 
with  ardor  to  follow  him  ;  and  as  he  was  continually  doing  acts 
of  kindness  to  them,  they  followed  him  through  love  as  well  as 
confidence.     Although  in  war   a  man  of  fire,  yet  in    private 
life,  he  called  the  social  virtues  around  him,  and  fulfilled  all 
the  domestic  duties  attached  to  the  character  of  a  husband  and 
father  in   the   most  exemplary  manner.     Finally,  "  he  had  a 
great  dislike  to  the  practice  of  swearing  in  his  ship,  and  would 
often  tell  his  officers  and  men  how  foolish  and  vile  a  habit  it 
was."  —  His  temper  was   so  amiable,    and  his  conversation  so 
lively,  that  he  made  friends  wherever  he  came.     Whoever  had 
a  voyage  to  take,  where  he  was  going,  wished  to  take  it  with 
him.     At  Grenada  it  cannot  be  conceived  in  what  esteem  and 
affection  he  was  held,  and  when  he  went  on  shore,  happy  was 
the  family  that  could  entertain  him.' 


APPENDIX. 


NO.     V.  — p.  118. 


311 


e  On  the  13th  of  April,  178*2,  a  letter  directed  to  the  com- 
missioners named  in  the  Act  for  guarding  and  defending  the 
navigation  and  trade  in  the  bay  and  river  Delaware,  containing 
an  account  of  an  engagement  which  took  place  on  the  8th  in- 
stant in  the  bay,  between  the  State  ship  Hyder  Ally,  command- 
ed by  Joshua  Barney,  and  the  ship  General  Monk,  belonging  to 
the  king  of  Great  Britain,  made  prize  by  the  Hyder  Ally,  was 
laid  before  the  House,  and  read,  and  Mr  Henry  Hill,  General 
Wilkinson,  and  Mr  James  McClene  were  oppointed  a  com- 
mittee, to  report  on  the  subject  of  said  letter,  and  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day,  reported  the  following  resolutions  which 
were  adopted  unanimously  — 

•  Resolved,  that  this  House  entertain  a  just  sense  of  the 
gallantry  and  good  conduct  of  Captain  Joshua  Barney,  and  the 
officers,  seamen  and  marines  under  his  command. 

1  Resolved,  that  the  President  of  the  Supreme  Executive 
Council  be  requested  to  procure  an  elegant  sword,  bearing 
some  device  emblematic  of  the  above  action,  and  present  the 
same  to  Captain  Barney,  in  testimony  of  the  favorable  opinion 
this  House  entertain  of  his  merit.'  — [Communicated  as  above. 


NO.     VI.— p. 127. 

Extracts  from  a  Letter,  addressed  to  Major  William  B.  Barney,  by  a  pas- 
senger in  the  General  Washington,  in  reply  to  one  of  inquiry  from  the 
former.  i 

*  *  ■*  <  I  need  not  mention  the  appointment  of  Captain  Bar- 
ney to  the  command  of  the  Hyder  Ally,  a  ship  fitted  out  by 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  protection  of  the  commerce 
and  shores  of  the  Delaware  bay ;  with  which,  besides  other 
services  of  clearing  the  bay  and  country  adjacent  by  taking  or 
destroying  the  piratical  boats  from  New  York,  he  captured, 
after  a  bloody  action,  the  English  ship  of  war  General  Monk. 
—  Of  these  particulars  you  have  full  information.  The  ship 
being  taken  into  the  United  States  service,  and  christened  the 
General  Washington,  was  refitted,  put  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Barney,  and  despatched  on  an  especial  service  to  com- 
municate with  Compte  de  Grasse,  commander  of  the  French 
squadron,  who  was  then  expected  to  join  the  Spanish  fleet 
tinder  Don  Solano  —  and,  in  conjunction,  to  attack  Jamaica. 


312  APPENDIX. 

A  particular  commission,  dependent  on  the  same  event,  was 
given  to  me,  and  about  the  end  of  April,  or  beginning  of  May, 
1782,*  1  joined  the  ship  at  Newcastle,  Delaware,  and  she 
directly  proceeded  to  sea.  On  the  passage,  an  English  brig, 
from  Jamaica  to  England,  was  captured  with  a  considerable 
caro-o,  and  in  this  affair,  the  Washington's  main  yard  was  car- 
ried away,  and  perhaps  some  other  damage  sustained,  not  now 
recollected.  But  three  or  four  days  after,  we  encountered  an 
English  cruiser,  and  as  both  vessels  stood  for  each  other,  we 
were  soon  in  close  hailing  distance  and  steered  together.  As 
no  colors  are  trusted  to  in  war,  the  usual  questions  were  put  to 
the  strange  vessel,  whose  answers  put  us  to  a  loss  whether  she 
was  an  enemy  or  not,  and  deprived  us  of  the  advantage  of  a 
close  broadside,  which  was  ready  to  be  poured  into  her.  For, 
while  our  commander  hesitated,  the  enemy,  disliking  our  ap- 
pearance, clawed  off,  hove  about,  passed  astern,  and  made  sail 
from  us.  Just  as  she  was  executing  this  manoeuvre,  Captain 
Barney,  having  ordered  a  gun  to  be  fired  over  her,  the  men  — 
all  a  tiptoe  at  their  quarters,  and  in  that  excitement  which  im- 
pels to  sudden  action  —  not  distinguishing  th?  order  to  nre  a 
gun,  from  the  general  command  to  engage,  discharged  the 
whole  broadside,  ineffectually,  astern  of  ber.  A  running  fight 
then  commenced  ;  and  the  enemy,  working  their  vessel  with 
superior  skill,  several  times  got  into  that  dreaded  position  rby 
which  they  had  it  in  their  power  to  rake  our  ship  fore  and  aft. 
This  being  the  fault  of  the  sailing  master,  at  last  provoked 
Captain  Barney  to  upbraid  him  with  misconduct,  and  by  great- 
er attention,  the  action  become  more  successful  on  our  part. 
The  enemy  however  possessed  still  advantages,  in  a  crew  of 
prime  seamen,  (as  we  afterwards  learned  from  one  who  had 
been  previously  captured  by  him)  in  her  guns,  which,  though 
of  like  calibre  and  number  with  ours,  were  superior  in  weight 
and  size  :  —  ours  being  6  pounders  bored  into  nines,  could  not 
bear  the  charges,  so  that  we  had  six  guns  overset  in  one  broad- 
side ;  which  required  so  much  time  to  replace  them  in  a  posi- 
tion for  firing  as  saved  the  enemy  and  discouraged  our  men.  — 
Besides,  she  was  lately  from  port,  was  coppered  to  the  bends, 
and  sailed  well.  —  The  action  was  renewed  as  often  as  we 
could  get  up  with  our  adversary,  and  so  closely,  that  our  yards 
were  nearly  interlocked,  and  we  were  once  ordered  to  board, 
but  were  disappointed  by  the  skill  with  which  this  measure  was 

*  '  Having  lost  the  Diary,  or  Journal,  kept  for  some  time  by  me  during 
our  revolutionary  war,  I  cannot  precisely  fix  the  dates.' 


APPENDIX. 


313 


shunned  by  her.  —  After  a  long  contest,  in  the  night,  the  loss  of 
spars,  and  the  mizen-mast  shattered  by  a  91b  shot  just  below 
the  hounds,  splintering  the  mast  one  half  down,  and  shot  in 
various  directions  in  hull  and  spars ;  while  we  were  just  in  the 
latitude  of  cruisers,  and  our  public  object  endangered  should 
we  fall  in  with  a  stronger  enemy ;  the  Captain  was  obliged  to 
haul  up  the  sails  on  the  wounded  masts  and  spars,  which  ena- 
bled the  enemy  to  escape,  at  the  very  moment,  when  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  she  would  have  struck,  could  we  have  got  along 
side  of  her  again.  —  She  went  off  silenced.  —  Our  men  be- 
haved well,  though  so  unhappily  served  by  the  guns.  Captain 
Barney  showed  that  cheerful  intrepidity,  which  I  have  more  than 
once  seen  wanting  in  commanders  at  sea  and  ashore,  and  which 
he  eminently  possessed.  He  had  two  brothers  who  command- 
ed, I  believe,  in  the  tops.  1  saw  one  of  them,  (and  he  was  not 
alone)  get  out  on  the  end  of  the  main  yard,  with  his  musket,  to  fire, 
when  the  enemy  shot  ahead,  and  the  sail  prevented  him  from 
acting.  There  were  other  traits  of  boldness,  not  now  necessary 
to  be  recalled  to  memory  and  recital.  We  got  into  Cape 
Francois  a  few  days  after,  a  good  deal  injured,  where  we  found 
the  French  and  Spanish  fleets,  with  a  considerable  land  force  ; 
but  De  Grasse  a  prisoner  with  the  English,  and  his  shattered 
ships  reduced  in  number,  his  plans  defeated,  and  my  object 
consequently  baffled.  I  left  the  Washington  at  the  Cape,  and 
the  ship  went  on  from  thence  to  Havanna,  where  Captain  Bar- 
ney took  on  board  a  large  quantity  of  specie,  and  returned  with 
it  in  safety  to  Philadelphia.' 


NO.  VII.— p.  146. 

c  Miss  Janette  Taylor  having  learned  that  Mrs  Barney  was 
about  to  publish  a  Memoir  of  Commodore  Barney,  and  finding 
among  her  papers  an  original  letter  from  that  gentleman  to  Com- 
modore Paul  Jones,  her  uncle,  she  sends  a  copy  of  it  to  Mrs 
Barney.  —  The  letter  shows  they  were  on  intimate  and  friendly 
terms ;  it  also  refers  to  other  letters  that  had  passed  between 
them  ;  if  these  exist  this  may  form  a  link  in  the  chain. 

'Lieutenant  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  in  a  letter  to  Commodore 
P.  Jones,  dated  Philadelphia  July  2d,  1784  says,  "  the  Washing- 
ton has  been  sold  at  Baltimore,  Captain  Barney  resides  there 
and  has  commenced  merchant."  ' 

The  biographer  has  not  thought  it  necessary  to  insert  the 
letter  inclosed  in  the  above  very  polite   note,  as  it  was  merely 
one  of  courtesy  and  private  matters. 
27 


314 


APPENDJX, 


NO.  VII.— p.  26! 


Extracts  of  a  letter  from  T.  P.  Andrews,  Esq.  to  Major  W.  B.  Barney. 

'Blake  and  myself  were  play-fellows  and  school  mates.  We 
heard  of  the  Commodore's  being  blockaded  in  St  Leonard's 
creek,  and  mutually  agreed  to  run  off  from  Washington,  without 
the  knowledge  of  our  parents  or  friends,  and  offer  our  services 
to  the  distinguished  commander  of  the  flotilla,  as  private  sailors 
or  marines.  The  Commodore  was  pleased  with  such  a  mani- 
festation from  two  inexperienced  boys,  and,  instead  of  placing 
us  in  the  ranks  of  his  command,  as  we  expected,  gave  each  of 
us  a  command  as  captains,  in  the  corps  of  150  marines,  form- 
ed of  his  sailors,  and  placed  on  shore  to  repel  an  expected 
land  attack  on  his  flotilla.  That  corps  you  w7ill  recollect  was 
commanded  by  yourself.  As  soon  as  most  of  the  blockading 
squadron  was  withdrawn  (leaving  but  two  frigates)  you  were 
sent  down  to  the  Bay  with  a  flag  of  truce.  The  Commodore 
determined  to  force  his  way  out,  which  he  did  do  into  the  Pa- 
tuxent ;  —  and  if  he  had  been  properly  supported  by  the  land 
battery,  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  have  sunk  or  captured  the 
two  frigates.  As  it  was,  they  were  as  you  know,  greatly  dam- 
aged. As  soon  as  the  Commodore  had  forced  his  way  out  into 
the  river  and  was  in  safety,  Blake  and  myself,  who  were  vol- 
unteer aids  in  his  own  barge,  during  his  conflict  with  the  enemy, 
returned  to  our  families;  the  latter  having  become  very  uneasy 
at  our  elopement.'  *  *  *  *  '1  was  also  at  his  side  in  the  battle 
of  Bladensburg,  and  there  again  had  occasion  to  witness  and 
admire  his  distinguished  character.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
1  was  not  attached  officially  to  his  command,  having  gone  to  the 
field  as  sergeant  major  and  acting  adjutant  to  one  of  the  mili- 
tia regiments,  which  happened  to  be  stationed  immediately  on 
the  left  flank  of  the  flotilla  [men.]  —  When  the  regiment  re- 
treated, I  joined  the  Commodore.' 


'  To  an  extract  from  the  journal  of  Mr  T.  P.  Andrews,  Mr 
A.  adds  —  to  do  away  misrepresentations  that  he  thinks  have 
been  purposely  made,  the  following  information,  derived  from  a 
gentleman  who  was  on  board  the  Loire  frigate  immediately  after 
the  action  —  that,  on  going  on  board,  he  found  them  hard  at 
work  pumping,  in  plugging  the  shot  holes  to  keep  her  from  sink- 
ing, and  painting  them  over  as  fast  as  plugged  of  the  color  of 


APPENDIX. 


31. 


the  vessel;  and  that  the  captain  of  the  Loire  who  was  senior 
captain,  and  commanded  both  vessels  in  the  engagement,  can- 
didly informed  him  that  he  had  15  shot  holes  in  his  frigate  ;  one 
in  the  copper  above  water,  one  below  water  mark,  one  near  the 
bridle  port  which  tore  off  a  plank,  and  the  rest  in  various  other 
parts  of  the  hull  of  the  frigate. 

f  The  captain  of  the  Loire  also  informed  him,  that  the  shot 
of  the  battery  all  fell  short,  that  neither  frigate  had  been  struck 
by  a  hot  shot,  as  some  had  supposed,  and  that  every  shot  they  re- 
ceived ivas  from  the  cold  eighteen  pounders  of  the  flotilla.  — 
The  gentleman  saw  all  the  shot  holes  of  the  Loire,  and  saw 
that  the  Narcissus  was  very  much  cut  up  below  the  bends,  and 
saw  them  pumping,  and  planking  her.'  — ■  Nat.  Intelligencer. 


NO.  IX.— p.  263. 

*  But  if  we  were  not  harassed,  we  were  at  least  startled,  on 
the  march  by  several  heavy  explosions.  — The  cause  of  these 
we  were  at  first  unable  to  discover ;  but  we  soon  learnt  that 
they  were  occasioned  by  the  blowing  up  of  the  very  squadron  of 
which  we  were  in  pursuit ;  which  Commodore  Barney  perceiving 
the  impossibility  of  preserving,  prudently  destroyed,  in  order  to, 
prevent  its  falling  into  our  hands.'    British  in  America,  p.  111. 

'Barney's  flotilla,  blown  up  in  the  Patuxent,  consisted  only 
of  one  cutter,  one  gun-boat  and  thirteen  barges  —  not  of  "  26 
gunboats,  and  10  or  15  barges,"  as  stated  in  an  Eastern  paper.' 
Niles's  Register,  vol.  vn.  p.  12. 

The  cutter  carried  one  long  18  on  a  pivot,  one  181b.  gunnade, 
and  four  short  91b.  carronades  —  the  gunboat  had  one  241b. 
long  gun  —  and  the  barges  each  a  long  12  or  18  in  the  bow, 
and  a  carronade  of  18  to  32  in  the  stern. 


NO.  X.  — p.  266. 

'  After  the  retreat  of  the  militia  under  Col.  Kramer  from  his 
first  position,)  i.  e.  on  the  right  of  the  road  and  in  advance  ot 
Commodore  Barney)  the  enemy's  column  in  the  road  was  ex- 
posed to  an  animated  discharge  from  Major  Peter's  artillery, 
which  continued  until  they  came  in  contact  with  Commodore 
Barney  :  here  the  enemy  met  the  greatest  resistance  and  sus- 
tained the  greatest  loss,  advancing  upon  our  retreating  line. 
When  the  enemy  came  in  full  view,  and  in  a  heavy  column  on 


316 


APPENDIX 


the  main  road,  Commodore  Barney  ordered  an  18  pounder  to 
be  opened  upon  them,  which  completely  cleared  the  road, 
scattered  and  repulsed  the  enemy  for  a  moment.  In  several 
attempts  to  rally  and  advance,  the  enemy  was  repulsed,  which 
induced  him  to  flank  to  the  right  of  our  lines  in  an  open  field. 
Here  Captain  Miller  opened  upon  him  with  three  12  pounders, 
and  the  flotilla  men  acting  as  infantry,  with  considerable  effect. 
The  enemy  continued  flanking  to  the  right  and  pressed  upon 
the  commands  of  Colonels  Beall  and  Hood,  which  gave  way 
after  three  or  four  rounds  of  ineffectual  fire,  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  enemy,  while  Colonel  Beall  and  other  officers 
attempted  to  rally  the  men  on  this  high  position.  The  enemy 
very  soon  gained  the  flank,  and  even  the  rear  of  the  right  of 
the  second  line. — Commodore  Barney,  Captain  Miller  and 
some  Other  officers  of  his  command,  being  wounded,  his  ammu- 
nition wagons  having  gone  off  in  the  disorder,  and  that  which 
the  marines  and  flotilla  men  had  being  exhausted  ;  in  this  situa- 
tion a  retreat  was  ordered  by  Commodore  Barney,  who  fell  him- 
self into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.'  —  Report  of  the  committee 
of  investigation —  Niles's  Register,  vol.  vn.  p.  248. 


NO.  XI.— p.  269. 

1  This  battle,  by  which  the  fate  of  the  American  capital  was 
decided,  began  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  lasted 
till  four.  The  loss  on  the  part  of  the  English  was  severe,  since, 
out  of  two  thirds  of  the  army,  which  were  engaged,  upwards 
of  five  hundred  were  killed  and  wounded ;  and  what  rendered 
it  doubly  severe  was,  that  among  these  were  numbered  several 
officers  of  rank  and  distinction.  Colonel  Thornton  who  com- 
manded the  light  brigade  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wood,  command- 
ing the  85th  regiment,  and  Major  Brown  who  had  led  the  ad- 
vanced guard,  were  all  severely  wounded ;  and  General  Ross 
himself  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  On  the  side  of  the 
Americans  the  slaughter  was  not  so  great.  Being  in  possession 
of  a  strong  position,  they  were  of  course  less  exposed  in  de- 
fending, than  the  others  in  storming  it  ;  and  had  they  conduct- 
ed themselves  with  coolness  and  resolution,  it  is  not  conceiva- 
ble how  the  day  could  have  been  won.  But  the  fact  is,  that, 
with  the  exception  of  a  party  of  sailors  from  the  gun  boats 
[barges]  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Barney,  no  troops 
could  behave  worse  than  they  did.  The  skirmishers  were 
driven  in  as   soon  as  attacked,  the  first  line  gave  way  without 


APPENDIX. 


317 


offering  the  slightest  resistance,  and  the  Jeft  of  the  main  body 
was  broken  within  half  an  hour  after  it  was  seriously  engaged. 
Of  the  sailors,  however,  it  would  be  injustice  not  to  speak  in 
the  terms  which  their  conduct  merits.  They  were  employed 
as  gunners,  and  not  only  did  they  serve  their  guns  with  a  quick- 
ness and  precision  which  astonished  their  assailants,  but  they 
stood  till  some  of  them  were  actually  bayonetted,  with  fusees  in 
their  hands ;  nor  was  it  till  their  leader  was  wounded,  and  they 
saw  themselves  deserted  on  all  sides  by  the  soldiers,  that  they 
quitted  the  field.'  —  British  in  America.     Letter  8,  p.  125. 


'There  was,  however,  one  difficulty  to  be  surmounted  in  this 
proceeding  —  [evacuation  of  Washington.]  Of  the  wounded, 
many  were  so  ill  as  to  preclude  all  possibility  of  their  removal, 
and  to  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  whom  we  had 
beaten,  was  rather  a  mortifying  anticipation.  But  for  this  there 
was  no  help  ;  and  it  now  only  remained  to  make  the  best  ar- 
rangements for  their  comfort,  and  to  secure,  as  far  as  could  be 
done,  civil  treatment  from  the  Americans. 

*  It  chanced,  that,  among  the  prisoners  taken  at  Bladensburg, 
was  Commodore  Barney,  an  American  officer  of  much  gallant- 
ry and  high  sense  of  honor.  Being  himself  wounded,  he  was 
the  more  likely  to  feel  for  those  who  were  in  a  similar  condition, 
and  having  received  the  kindest  treatment  from  our  medical  at- 
tendants, as  long  as  he  continued  under  their  hands,  he  became, 
without  solicitation,  the  friend  of  his  fellow  sufferers.  To  him, 
as  well  as  to  the  other  prisoners,  was  given  his  parole,  and  to  his 
care  were  our  wounded,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  entrusted,  a  trust 
which  he  received  with  the  utmost  willingness,  and  discharged 
with  the  most  praiseworthy  exactness.  Among  other  terms, 
it  was  agreed  between  him  and  General  Ross,  that  such  of  our 
people  as  were  left  behind,  should  be  considered  as  prisoners 
of  war,  and  should  be  restored  to  us,  as  soon  as  they  were  able 
to  travel ;  when  he  and  his  countrymen  would,  in  exchange,  be 
released  from  their  engagements.'  —  lb.  Letter  9,  p.   142. 


1  To  destroy  the  flotilla,  was  the  the  sole  object  of  the  disem- 
barkation, and  but  for  the  instigations  of  Cockburn,  who  accom- 
panied the  army,  the  capital  of  America  would  probably  have 
escaped  its  visitation.  It  was  he,  who,  on  the  retreat  of  that 
flotilla  from  Nottingham,  urged  the  necessity  of  a  pursuit, 
27* 


318 


APPENDIX. 


which  was  not  agreed  to  without  some  wavering  ;  and  it  was 
he  also  who  suggested  the  attack  upon  Washington,  and  finally 
prevailed  on  General  xloss  to  venture  so  far  from  the  shipping.' 
lb.  p,  152. 

NO.  XII.— p.  271. 

1  At  this  time,  aided  by  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  screen- 
ed by  a  flame  they  had  kindled,  one  or  two  rocket  or  bomb 
vessels  and  many  barges,  manned  with  1200  chosen  men,  pass- 
ed fort  McHenry  and  proceeded  up  the  Patapsco  to  assail  the 
town  and  fort  in  the  rear,  and,  perhaps,  effect  a  landing.  The 
weak  sighted  mortals  now  thought  the  great  deed  was  done  — 
they  gave  three  cheers,  and  began  to  throw  their  missive  weap- 
ons. But,  alas  1  their  cheering  was  quickly  turned  to  groan- 
ing, and  the  cries  and  screams  of  their  wounded  and  drowning 
people  soon  reached  the  shore ;  for  forts  McHenry*  and  Cov- 
ington, with  the  City  Battery  and  the  Lazaretto  and  barges,  [of 
the  flotilla]  vomited  an  iron  flame  upon  them,  and  a  storm  of 
heavy  bullets  flew  upon  them  from  the  great  semicircle  of  large 
guns  and  gallant  hearts.  —  The  houses  in  the  city  were  shaken 
to  their  foundations  ;  for  never  perhaps,  from  the  time  of  the 
invention  of  cannon  to  the  present  day,  were  the  same  number 

of  pieces  fired  with  so  rapid  succession.' '  Barney's  flotilla 

men,  at  the  City  Battery,  maintained  the  high  reputation  they 
had  before  earned.'  —  Niles's  Register  vol.  vn.  p.  24. 


NO.  XI II. -p.  271. 

'  Resolved,  By  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  board  of  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  City  of  Washington,  That  the  Mayor  be? 
and  he  hereby  is,  authorized  to  present  to  Commodore  Barney 
a  sword,  as  a  testimonial  of  the  high  sense  which  this  Corpora- 
tion entertains  of  his  distinguished  gallantry  and  good  conduct 
at  the  battle  of  Bladensburg. 

c  Resolved,  That  the  Mayor  be  and  he  hereby  is,  authorized 
to  present  through  Commodore  Barney,  the   thanks   of  the 

*  Fort  McHenry  did  not  perceive  the  passing  up  of  the  British,  and 
knew  it  only  from  the  firing  at  the  City  battery  of  6  guns,  manned  by  flo- 
tilla men,  and  under  the  command  of  a  flotilla  officer  —  Mr  Jno.  A.  Web- 
ster. The  Lazaretto  also  was  defended  by  flotilla  men,  under  the  command 
of  first  and  second  lieutenants  Rutter  and  Frazier,  so  often  before  distin- 
guished. 


APPENDIX. 


319 


Corporation  to  the  gallant  officers  and  men,  who  served  under 
his  orders  on  the  twentyfourth  of  August  last  —  and  to  assure 
them  this  Corporation  entertains  the  most  lively  sense  of  their 
services  on  that  day.5 

(Signed)  R.  C.  Weightman, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Common  Council. 
«  Approved,  Sept.  28th  1814. 

Jo.  Gales,  Jr., 

President  pro  tempore  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen. 

*  James  Blake,  Mayor.' 


1  We  have  been  favored  with  the  following  description  of  The 
Sword  lately  presented  to  Commodore  Joshua  Barney  by  the 
Corporation  of  this  City,  in  testimony  of  the  intrepidity  and 
valor  displayed  by  him  and  the  handful  of  men  under  his  im- 
mediate command,  in  defence  of  the  City  of  Washington,  on 
the  24th  day  of  August,  1814.  The  sword  is  elegant —  the 
device  on  it  is  handsome.  On  the  outer  side  of  the  blade  is  a 
mythologic  emblem.  It  is  a  figure  with  helmet,  visor  up,  hold- 
ing on  the  left  arm  a  fasces  indicative  of  the  genius  of  the 
Union  ;  the  left  foot  is  in  the  prow  of  a  galley,  and  the  right  is 
on  the  land  ;  the  right  hand  holds  an  inverted  spear  erect  on  a 
globe,  indicative  of  valor  and  military  renown  by  sea  and  by 
land. 

1  The  rest  are  the  usual  technical  and  military  trophies  and  a 
naval  crown. 

'  The  blade  is  damasked,  clouded,  purpled,  gilt  and  purpled, 
with  the  point  and  edge  highly  burnished,  and  it  has  a  shell, 
containing  the  eagle  with  the  anchor,  surrounded  by  eighteen 
stars.  The  hilt,  an  eagle  head,  the  guard  a  stirrup  with  troph- 
ies, and  the  whole  mounting,  scabbard  and  hilt  and  guard,  are 
of  solid  pure  silver,  highly  gilt. 

*  The  following  inscription  appears  on  the  blade  :  "  In  testi- 
mony of  the  intrepidity  and  valor  of  commodore  Joshua  Bar- 
ney, and  the  handful  of  men  under  his  immediate  command  in 
the  defence  of  the  City  of  Washington  on  the  24th  of  August, 
1814  —  the  Corporation  of  the  City  have  bestowed  on  him  this 
sword."  '  —  National  Intelligencer, 


NO.   XIV.—  p.  271. 

4  By  this  time  (5th  October)  the  whole  fleet  was  once  more 
collected  together  ;  and  covered  the  Potomac  with  their  keels. 


320 


APPENDIX. 


The  Diadem  being  an  old  ship  and  a  bad  sailer,  it  was  determin- 
ed to  remove  from  her  the  troops  which  she  had  formerly  car- 
ried, to  fill  her  with  American  prisoners,  and  to  send  her  to  Eng- 
land. The  Menelaus  was  likewise  despatched  with  such 
officers  and  soldiers  as  required  the  benefit  of  their  native  air, 
to  complete  the  cure  of  their  wounds  ;  and  the  rest  getting  un- 
der weigh  on  the  6th,  stood  directly  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
Chesapeake.  —  When  we  reached  James  River,  we  anchored, 
and  were  joined  by  an  American  schooner  bearing  a  flag  of 
truce.  —  She  brought  with  her  Colonel  Thornton,  lieutenant 
Colonel  Wood,  and  the  rest  of  the  officers  and  men  who  had 
been  left  behind  at  Bladensburg,  and  being  under  the  guidance 
of  Commodore  Barney,  that  gentleman  was  enabled  to  discharge 
his  trust  even  to  the  very  letter. 

*  It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  the  meeting  between  friends 
thus  restored  to  each  other  was  very  agreeable.  But  there 
was  another  source  of  comfort  which  this  arrival  communicated, 
of  greater  importance  than  the  pleasure  bestowed  upon  indi- 
viduals. In  Colonel  Thornton  we  felt  that  we  had  recovered 
a  dashing  and  enterprising  officer ;  and  as  well  calculated  to 
lead  a  corps  of  light  troops,  and  to  guide  the  advance  of  an 
army,  as  any  in  the  service.  On  the  whole  therefore  the 
American  schooner  was  as  welcome  as  if  she  had  been  a  first 
rate  man  of  war  filled  with  reinforcements  from  England.'  — 
British  in  America. 


NO.  XV.  — p.  272. 

*  BRITISH    OFFICIAL    ACCOUNT    SET    RIGHT. 
*  To  the  Editors  of  the  National  Intelligencer. 

*  General  Ross  in  his  official  despatch  says,  that  after  having 
landed  the  army  at  Benedict,  they  moved  up  to  Nottingham, 
and  on  the  22d  August,  to  Upper  Marlborough,  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant from  Pig  Point,  where  Admiral  Cockburn  fell  in  with  and 
defeated  the  flotilla,  taking  and  destroying  the  whole.  Now 
the  fact  is  they  neither  took  nor  destroyed  the  flotilla,  for  on 
the  2 1 st  the  flotilla  was  abandoned  by  the  crews  to  join  the 
army,  leaving  only  six  or  eight  men  in  every  [each]  barge,  to 
destroy  them  on  the  appearance  of  the  enemy's  army,  and  forces 
from  the  fleet ;  which  was  done  by  the  officers  and  men  left 
by  me,  and  not  by  Admiral  Cockburn.  —  So  much  for  this  part 
of  the  general's  despatch.  The  general  declares  he  landed  the 
army  to   cooperate  with  Admiral  Cochrane,  in  the  operations 


APPENDIX. 


321 


which  were  to  be  made  in  an  attack  under  Admiral  Cockburn, 
upon  the  flotilla.  Let  us  for  a  moment  make  a  comparison  of 
the  forces  ;  47  sail  of  ships  of  the  line,  frigates,  bombs,  sloops 
of  war,  tenders  and  transports  ;  having  on  board  an  army  of, 
as  they  said,  9,000  veteran  troops,  the  crews  of  the  ships,  &c, 
8,000  more,  a  total  of  17,000  men,  to  cooperate  against  14 
open  row  boats  (not  gun  boats)  and  one  tender  ;  having  crews 
amounting  in  the  whole  to  503  men,  400  of  which  had  left  the 
barges  the  day  previous,  leaving  103  men  to  defend  it  against 
all  the  forces  combined,  with  admirals,  generals,  &c,  at  their 
head.  The  general  then  goes  on  to  state,  that  on  the  23d  he 
was  opposed  by  a  corps  of  1200  men  —  now  the  fact  is,  these 
1200  men,  were  no  other  than  two  companies  of  riflemen  and 
infantry,  with  light  artillery,  200  strong,  under  Major  Peter 
from  the  District ;  a  skirmish  ensued,  one  man  was  slightly 
wounded.  —  Then  the  general  comes  on  to  Bladensburg,  where 
he  found  the  "  enemy  strongly  posted  on  commanding  heights 
and  aTortified  house,  &c,  which  house  was  shortly  carried  !  " — 
now  the  fact  is,  the  house  was  not  occupied  by  the  Americans, 
of  course  easily  carried.  —  The  general  goes  on  to  state  how 
his  troops  advanced,  and  by  the  irresistible  attack  of  the  bayonet, 
the  enemy  got  into  confusion  and  fled.  —  It  would  have  been 
more  to  the  honor  of  the  general,  to  have  told  that  his  men 
never  had  it  in  their  power  to  use  the  bayonet  but  once,  and 
then  declined  it ;  for  after  every  attempt  was  made  by  his  men 
to  advance  on  the  main  road  and  [they]  were  driven  by  the 
artillery  under  my  command  into  the  field,  they  were  rallied 
and  led  on  by  Colonel  Thornton,  who  advanced  to  within  50 
yards  of  our  position,  when  he  was  met  by  the  marines  under 
Capts.  Miller  and  Sevier,  with  the  flotilla  men.  Col.  Thornton 
fell  dangerously  wounded,  Capt.  Hamilton  and  Lt.  Codd  were 
killed,  Lt.  Stevely  of  the  "  king's  own"  also  severely  wounded. 
The  veterans  of  the  86th  and  4th  or  "  king's  own"  gave  way  — 
so  far  from  using  the  bayonet,  they  fled  before  our  men,  who 
pursued  them,  the  sailors  crying  out  to  "  board  them,"  nor  did 
the  enemy  rally  until  they  got  into  a  ravine  covered  with  woods, 
leaving  their  [wounded]  officers  in  our  power.  Then  our  men 
returned  to  their  station ;  Gen.  Ross  in  person  was  obliged  to 
take  the  command,  but  dared  not  lead  them  on  in  front,  but 
pushed  out  on  our  flank ;  our  ammunition  being  expended  we 
were  necessitated  to  retire.  The  general  says,  the  artillery 
which  was  under  Com.  Barney,  "ten  pieces,"  were  taken.  The 
fact  is  I  never  had  but  five  pieces.  But  such  are  the  accounts 
given  by  British  commanders.  —  The  general  goes  on  to  state 


322 


APPENDIX. 


their  loss,  which  appears  small,  yet  to  my  knowledge  the  85th 
regiment  lost  ten  officers  killed  and  wounded,  among  them 
Colonel  Thornton,  Lieut.  Col.  Wood,  and  Major  Brown  ;  these 
facts  could  not  be  unknown  to  the  general,  as  the  above  officers 
fell  into  our  power,  as  did  between  two  and  three  hundred  other 
officers  and  privates,  and  [they]  have  been  exchanged  through 
my  agency,  against  the  officers  and  men  taken  at  Bladensburg, 
and  all  those  taken  and  paroled,  after  being  wounded,  at  Balti- 
more. Notwithstanding  all  these  facts,  Col.  Brook  says  he  car- 
ried off  two  hundred  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  of  that 
City  as  prisoners  —  yet  after  this  general  exchange,  the  enemy 
fell  in  debt  to  us,  in  point  of  numbers,  upwards  of  one  hundred 
men,  besides  having  two  hundred  men  buried  in  the  field. 
Such  was  the  real  state  of  these  boasted  transactions,  for  the 
truth  of  which  T  refer  to  Colonel  Thornton,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Wood,  Major  Brown  and  Lieutenant  Stevely.'  [Signed]  'Joshua 
Barney.'  —  Niles's  Register,  Sup.  to  vol.  vn.  p.   159. 


NO.  XVI.— p.  273. 

Congress  of  the  United  States.  House  of  Representatives. 
Thursday,  October  20th. — In  committee  of  the  whole  a  bill 
was  agreed  to  for  the  relief  of  the  officers  and  seamen  for  Bar- 
ney's flotilla  —  to  indemnify  them  for  the  loss  of  their  clothes 
&c,  by  the  destruction  of  the  barges  in  the  Patuxent.  On  this 
bill  considerable  discussion  took  place  in  the  house,  and  it  was 
Said  on  the  table.'  — Niles's  Register,  vol.  vn.  p.  108. 


1  Tuesday,  Nov.  1st.  The  house  resumed  the  consideration 
of  the  bill  for  allowing  compensation  to  Commodore  Barney's 
officers  and  men,  for  the  loss  of  their  clothing,  &ic. 

'  Mr  Pleasants,  of  Va.  took  occasion  to  read  the  following 
letter  he  had  received  from  Commodore  Barney  since  the  sub- 
ject was  last  under  consideration. 

*  Baltimore,  Oct.  30th,  1814. 
'  Hon.  Mr  Pleasants. 

Sir  —  It  was  not  until  this  morning  that  I  saw  a  short  sketch 
of  the  debate  on  the  '  Flotilla  bill.'  I  was  much  surprised  at  what 
was  said  on  that  occasion,  for  it  was  well  known  when  orders 
were  given  to  blow  up  the  flotilla,  that  the  enemy  were  firing 
upon  them  from  40  barges  with  cannon  and  rockets,  and  had 
landed  a  body  ol  marines  at  Pig  Point,  within  a  mile  of  the 


APPENDIX.  323 

flotilla.  The  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  me,  were 
to  keep  the  flotilla  above  the  enemy,  and  if  they  attempted  to 
march  for  Washington,  to  land  my  men,  leaving  sufficient  to 
destroy  the  flotilla,  if  attacked.  On  Sunday,  21st  of  August, 
finding  the  enemy  on  the  road  to  the  Wood-yard,  direct 
for  Washington,  I  landed  upwards  of  four  hundred  men, 
leaving  only  eight  men  in  each  barge  to  take  care  of  them  or 
destroy  them  as  the  case  might  be,  but  by  no  means  to  let  them 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  ;  most  of  the  baggage  and  all 
the  bedding  of  the  men  who  were  landed,  was  left  on  board,  not 
wishing  to  encumber  them.  —  On  Monday  morning,  the  22d, 
we  joined  the  army  at  the  Wood-yard,  where  I  found  the  ma- 
rine corps  and  five  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  which  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  had  the  precaution  to  send  forward  from 
Washington  and  place  under  my  command.  I  need  not  relate 
our  services  afterwards  —  but  when  the  flotilla  was  blown  up, 
we,  and  not  the  enemy,  '  were  a  day's  march  from  it,'  of  course 
could  not  save  the  baggage.  —  So  far  from  being  able  to  get 
'  farther  up  the  river,'  as  was  said,  the  vessels  were  aground, 
and  were  blown  up  in  that  situation  ;  and  as  to  having  time  to 
save  the  baggage,  so  contrary  is  the  truth,  that  several  of  the 
men  were  taken  prisoners  in  the  act  of  destroying  the  flotilla, 
and  still  remain  so.  Much  more  might  be  said  on  this  subject, 
but  the  winter  coming  on  imperiously  calls  for  some  assistance 
to  these  unfortunate  men. 

1  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Jjshua  Barney." 

1  The  amendment,  pending  when  this  subject  was  last  before 
the  house  was  agreed  to. 

'  On  motion  of  Mr  J.  G.  Jackson,  the  word  "  officers"  was 
stricken  out  of  the  bill  53  to  47.  His  reason  was,  that  it  would 
set  a  bad  precedent  for  remuneration  of  officers  in  other  cases 
where  they  should  lose  baggage,  which  frequently  occurred. 

'  The  bill  thus  amended,  was  ordered  to  be  engrossed  for  a 
third  reading  tomorrow. 

'  Wednesday,  Nov.  2d.  The  bill  for  the  relief  of  the  petty 
officers  and  seamen  under  Commodore  Barney  was  passed., 
lb.  p.  108  —  142. 


NOTES 


A. —p.  127. 


The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  Jamaica  to  his  friend  in 
Baltimore,  dated  '  Kingston,  Ja.  March  16th,  1794,'  is  copied  from  the 
'  Maryland  Journal,  and  Baltimore  Advertiser'  of  the  5th  May,  1794. 

'  On  the  13th  of  February,  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer 
for  the  trial  of  offences  committed  on  the  high  seas,  met  by  ap- 
pointment ;  after  the  usual  forms,  the  Grand  Jury  went  out  for 
presentments  and  found  two  bills  against  Captain  Joshua  Bar- 
ney, of  the  ship  Sampson,  of  Baltimore  ;  the  first,  for  piratically 
and  feloniously  rescuing  and  bearing  off  a  ship  and  cargo,  which 
had  been  seized  at  sea,  while  under  his  command,  in  July  last ; 
the  second,  for  firing  upon,  with  intention  to  kill,  and  wounding 
one  of  the  prize  masters.  The  Court  then  not  thinking  proper 
to  go  immediately  into  the  trial,  adjourned  until  the  3d  instant, 
when  they  again  met,  and  adjourned  until  the  10th  ;  they  then 
met  and  proceeded  to  try  him  on  the  first  indictment. 

'  Captain  Barney  was  therefore  arraigned  at  the  bar,  at  11  in 
the  morning,  and  after  an  examination  of  witnesses,  and  pro- 
ceedings, which  continued  until  5  in  the  evening,  and  were  then 
closed  by  the  intervention  of  the  Judges,  a  virtuous  and  inde- 
pendent Jury,  without  going  out  of  their  box,  brought  in  a  ver- 
dict of  "  not  guilty". 

'The  Court  then  adjourned  to  the  15th,  to  try  him  on  the 
second  indictment ;  but  during  this  interval,  the  President  of 
the  Court  issued  an  order  to  stop  all  further  proceedings  ;  and 
thus  ended  the  interesting  process. 

i  The  origin  and  progress  of  this  trial  has  for  some  time  en- 
gaged no  small  share  of  the  common  chat  of  this  town,  and 
has  been  seriously  considered  in  the  United  States-  It  is  not 
seasonable  to  trace  this  affair  through  all  its  stages ;  suffice  it  to 
say,  that  the  firmness  and  dignity  wherewith  Captain  Barney  has 
conducted  himself  through  the  wThole  of  this  cruel  and  vindic- 
tive prosecution,  at  once  bespeak  him  the  man  his  fellow-citizens 
took  him  to  be,  and  reflects  additional  lustre  on  the  character  of 


APPENDIX. 


325 


a  native  American.  —  While  the  rapacious  agents  of  these 
commercial  regulations  were  endeavoring  by  every  insidious 
artifice  to  pillage  him  of  the  means  of  social  existence,  by  de- 
priving him  of  his  property,  another  junta,  more  wicked  and 
inveterate,  and  no  less  industrious  to  avail  themselves  of  every 
evil  machination  that  malice  could  invent  or  envy  dictate,  to 
wreak  their  vengeance  on  his  blood,  and  left  nothing  untried  to 
deprive  America  of  a  valuable  citizen,  human  nature  of  a  friend 
and  benefactor,  and  a  virtuous  and  amiable  family  of  a  hus- 
band and  father. 

[From  the  same  paper  of  the  7th  of  May,  1794.] 

1  Extract  of  a  letter  from  a  respectable  merchant  in  Kingston, 
Jamaica,  to  a  mercantile  house  in  this  town,  dated  March  13th. 

•  I  have  felt  very  sincerely  for  the  disagreeable  situation  Cap- 
tain Barney  has  been  in  ever  since  his  arrival  here,  from  the 
most  cruel  and  barbarous  treatment,  by  vexatious  prosecutions, 
that  any  man,  I  believe,  ever  experienced.  One  of  them  is 
now  over  (for  retaking  his  own  ship,  and  carrying  her  to  Balti- 
more), and  with  much  credit  to  himself,  and  confusion  of  his 
persecutors  ;  and  who,  I  hope,  in  the  end,  will  suffer  dearly 
for  it,  not  only  in  their  purses,  but  in  the  opinion  (I  may  say) 
of  the  whole  community.' 


B.  —  p.  186. 

[From  the  same  paper  of  November  4th,  1794.] 

'  The  French  prints  inform  us,  that  on  the  14th  of  August 
the  Minister  from  the  United  States  to  the  French  Republic 
communicated  to  the  National  Convention,  the  wish  of  his  fel- 
low citizens  for  the  prosperity  of  the  nation  —  when  his  creden- 
tials were  referred  to  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  On  their 
report  the  Convention  decreed,  that  the  said  Minister  should  be 
introduced  into  the  bosom  of  the  Convention,  and  the  President 
should  give  him  the  fraternal  embrace,  as  a  symbol  of  the  friend- 
ship which  unites  the  American  and  French  people.  Mr  Mon- 
roe, the  American  Minister,  then  addressed  the  citizens  repre- 
sentatives of  the  French  people  [in  a  speech]  which  during  its 
delivery,  was  repeatedly  interrupted  by  the  applauses  of  the 
Convention.  Among  other  things  the  Minister  observed,  that 
as  a  certain  proof  of  the  great  [desire]  of  his  countrymen  for 
the  freedom,  prosperity,  and  happiness  of  the  French  Repub- 
28 


326 


APPENDIX. 


lie  he  assured  them  that  the  Continental  Congress  had  requested 
the  President  to  make  known  to  them  this  sentiment,  and  while 
acting  agreeably  to  the  desire  of  the  two  Houses,  the  President 
enjoined  him  to  declare  the  congeniality  of  his  sentiment  with 
theirs.  —  The  Secretary  then  read  the  letter  of  credentials, 
when  the  President  of  the  Convention  replied  to  this  effect : 

'  The  French  people  have  never  forgotten  that  they  owe  to 
the  Americans  the  imitation  of  liberty.  They  admired  the 
sublime  insurrection  of  the  American  people  against  Albion 
of  old  so  proud  and  now  so  disgraced.  They  sent  their  armies 
to  assist  the  Americans,  and  in  strengthening  the  independence 
of  that  country,  the  French,  at  the  same  time,  learned  to  break 
the  sceptre  of  their  own  tyranny,  and  erect  a  statue  of  liberty 
on  the  ruins  of  a  throne,  founded  upon  the  corruption  and 
the  crimes  of  fourteen  centuries. 

1  The  President  proceeded  to  remark  that  the  [alliance]  be- 
tween the  two  republics  was  not  merely  a  diplomatic  transaction, 
but  an  alliance  of  cordial  friendship.  He  hoped  that  this 
alliance  would  be  indissoluble,  and  prove  the  scourge  of 
tyrants,  and  the  protection  of  the  rights  of  man.  He  ob- 
served how  differently  an  American  ambassador  would  have 
been  received  in  France  six  years  ago,  by  the  usurper  of  the 
liberty  of  the  people  ;  and  how  much  merit  he  would  have 
claimed  for  having  graciously  condescended  to  take  the  United 
States  under  his  protection.  At  this  day,  it  is  the  sovereign  peo- 
ple itself,  represented  by  its  faithful  deputies,  that  receive  the 
ambassador  with  real  attachment,  while  affected  mortality  [qu.] 
is  at  an  end.  He  longed  to  crown  it  with  the  fraternal  embrace. 
"  I  am  charged,"  said  he,  "  to  give  it  in  the  name  of  the  nation. 
Come  and  receive  it  in  the  name  of  the  American  nation,  and 
let  this  scene  destroy  the  last  hope  of  the  impious  coalition  of 
tyrants."  ' 

[Captain  Barney  accompanied  the  American  Minister  on  this 
occasion,  and  was  present  during  the  sittings,  a  transcript  of 
the  proceedings  of  which,  follows  :] 

National  Convention,  August  15th. 

'  The  discussion  on  the  organization  of  the  several  commit- 
tees were  commenced,  but  the  deliberation  was  soon  after  inter- 
rupted by  the  arrival  of  the  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from  the 
United  States;  he  was  conducted  into  the  centre  of  the  hall 
an,d  a  Secretary  read  the  translation  of  his  discourse  and  cre- 
dential letters,  signed  by  George  Washington,  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  Edmund  Randolph,  Secretary  of  State,   at 


APPENDIX. 


327 


Philadelphia,  the  28th  of  May.  The  reading  of  this  was  ac- 
companied by  repeated  shouts  of  "  Vive  la  Republique"  — 
"  Vivent  les  Republiques !  "  —  and  universal  acclamations  of 
applause.  —  The  discourse,  &c,  were  ordered  to  be  printed  in 
the  French  and  American  [qu.]  languages. 

1  The  President  gave  the  fraternal  kiss  to  the  Minister,  and 
declared  that  he  recognised  James   Monroe   in  this  quality. 

1  It  is  also  decreed,  on  the  motion  of  Moyse  Bayle,  that  the 
colors  of  both  nations  should  be  suspended  at  the  vault  of  the 
hall  as  a  sign  of  perpetual  alliance  and  union.  The  Minister 
took  his  seat  on  the  mountain  on  the  left  of  the  President,  and 
he  received  the  fraternal  kiss  from  several  deputies.  The  sit- 
ting  was  suspended.' 

26  Fructidor,  Sept.  25th,  1794. 
Bernard,  of  Saints,  President. 

'  The  President.  —  A  letter  in  English  has  just  now  been  de- 
livered to  me, —  the  translation,  which  was  joined,  announces 
that  the  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  of 
America  sends  a  stand  of  colors,  in  order  to  be  placed  in  the 
hall  of  the  National  Convention,  at  the  side  of  the  French  col- 
ors. —  It  is  brought  by  an  officer  of  the  United  States. 

c  The  Convention  orders  him  to  be  admitted.  The  Amer- 
ican officer  enters  the  bar  amidst  universal  shouts  of  applause ; 
he  carries  a  standard,  the  colors  of  which  are  the  same  as  those 
of  our  standard  of  liberty,  with  the  only  difference  that  a  blue 
field  is  interspersed  with  stars. 

'  He  presented  the  following  pieces  which  were  read  by  a 
Secretary : 

"  The  Minister  of  the  United  States  of  America  to  the  President  of  the  Na- 
tional Convention. 

"Citizen  President  —  The  Convention  having  decreed 
that  the  colors  of  the  American  and  French  republics  should  be 
united  and  stream  together  in  the  place  of  its  sittings,  as  a  testi- 
mony of  the  union  and  friendship,  which  ought  to  subsist  forever 
between  the  two  nations,  I  thought  that  I  could  not  better  mani- 
fest the  deep  impression  which  this  decree  has  made  on  me,  and 
express  the  thankful  sensations  of  my  constituents,  than  by  pro- 
curing their  colors  to  be  carefully  executed,  and  in  offering  them 
in  the  name  of  the  American  people  to  the  representatives  of  the 
French  Nation. 

"  I  have  had  them  made  in  the  form  lately  decreed  by  Con- 
gress, and  have  trusted  them  to  Captain  Barney,  an  officer  of 
distinguished  merit,  who  has  rendered  us  great  services  by  sea,  in 


328 


APPENDIX, 


the  course  of  our  Revolution.  He  is  charged  to  present  and  to 
deposit  them  on  the  spot  which  you  shall  judge  proper  to  appoint 
for  them.  —  Accept,  citizen  President,  this  standard,  as  a  new 
pledge  of  the  sensibility,  with  which  the  American  people  always 
receive  the  interest  and  friendship,  which  their  good  and  brave 
allies  give  them  ;  as  also  of  the  pleasure  and  ardor  with  which 
they  seize  every  opportunity  of  cementing  and  consolidating  the 
union  and  good  understanding  between  the  two  nations."  (Ap- 
plauded.)' 

*  Speech  of  Captain  Barney,  bearer  of  the  colors. 

'  Citizen  President  —  Having  been  directed  by  the  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  of  America  to  present  to 
the  National  Convention  the  flag  demanded  [asked]  of  him ;  the 
flag,  under  the  auspices  of  which  I  have  had  the  honor  to  fight 
against  our  common  enemy  during  the  war  which  has  assured 
liberty  and  independence,  I  discharge  the  duty  with  the  most 
lively  satisfaction,  —  and  deliver  it  to  you.  Henceforth,  sus- 
pended on  the  side  of  that  of  the  French  Republic,  it  will  be- 
come the  symbols  of  the  union  which  subsists  between  the^two 
nations,  and  last,  I  hope,  as  long  as  the  freedom,  which  they 
have  so  bravely  acquired  and  so  wisely  consolidated.' 

A  member.  —  l  The  citizen  who  has  just  spoke  at  the  bar,  is 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  sea-officers  of  America.  He  has 
rendered  great  service  to  the  liberty  of  his  country,  and  he 
could  render  the  same  to  the  liberty  of  France.  I  demand  that 
this  observation  be  referred  to  the  examination  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Public  Safety,  and  that  the  fraternal  embrace  be  given  to 
this  brave  officer.'  —  (Applauded.) 

Several  voices.  —  '  The  fraternal  embrace.'  (Decreed.) 

'  The  officer  went  up  with  the  flag  to  the  chair  of  the  Presi- 
dent, and  received  the  fraternal  embrace,  amidst  unanimous  ac- 
clamations and  applauses. 

Mathieu.  —  *  One  of  our  colleagues,  in  rendering  homage 
to  the  talents  and  services  of  that  officer,  told  you  that  he  could 
be  usefully  employed  by  the  Republic.  I  second  the  reference 
of  his  observation  to  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.'  — 
c  Decreed.' 


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